BAR HARBOR – Caribou Little League’s 11-12 year old traveling all-star baseball team captured the 12th annual Marty Lyons Classic Little League Tournament title held Aug. 7-8.
Contributed photo
Members of the Caribou 11-12 year-old baseball team that won a tournament in Bar Harbor Aug. 7 and 8 were, in front from left, Connor Plourde, Jillian Flynn, Tyler Raymond, Nick Frost, Justin Ouellette and Michael Hunter. Back row, coach Scott Hunter, Brian Corbin, Reece McDougall, Tyler Dombrowski, Mason Huck, Jacob Burby and coach Arik Jepson.
The 11-12 year old division featured a record 10 teams and Caribou ended the weekend with a 4-1 record as well as being named tournament champions.
Caribou’s first game saw the all-stars tied with the Holbrook Red team 3-3 going into the sixth inning. Caribou’s Justin Ouellette pitched the first five innings giving up only three runs to a very talented Holbrook team and Tyler Dombroski came in to pitch the sixth inning, facing only three batters while striking out two and retiring the third on a ground ball.
Caribou’s home-half of the sixth inning saw Dombroski lead off with a single, reaching second on a passed ball and scoring on Jacob Burby’s single to right field.
In the second game of the tournament, two county teams squared off as Caribou matched up with Presque Isle’s Paterson Payroll team. Caribou was behind 1-0 going in to the sixth inning until an offensive explosion led by RBIs from Brian Corbin, Reece McDougall and Connor Plourde allowed Caribou to break out to a five-run advantage. Caribou’s Corbin quietly was recording a no-hit bid going into the final inning until it was broken up with one out on a hit to right field by Presque Isle’s Brycen Libby. Dombroski came in to relieve Corbin and recorded the final two outs of the game with Plourde making the final putout on a diving play in right field. Libby did score on a passed ball to make the final score 6-2.
Game three proved to be the most difficult of the tournament as it was the battle of the only unbeaten teams – Caribou and the Acadia All Stars. Caribou started quickly, taking a 3-0 lead after the first inning with Michael Hunter, Nick Frost and Ouellette all scoring. Acadia battled back in the second and tied it at 3-3.
The score was tied at four at the end of the fourth inning as both teams were playing great defense behind their pitchers. Jillian Flynn was very solidbehind the plate for Caribou. In the fifth inning, Acadia busted out five runs and put Caribou’s back against the wall, 9-4.
Caribou’s Mason Huck and Dombroski both scored on a single by Corbin in the fifth to cut Acadia’s lead to 9-6. Caribou held Acadia scoreless in the top of the sixth inning and mounted a comeback that came up just short as Frost and Ouellette scored to trim Acadia’s lead to 9-8. With the potential tying run on first base and two out, a groundout ended the threat and handed Caribou its first loss of the tournament.
With no break in between games, Caribou quickly regained its momentum playing Hampden in the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament. Caribou eased past their opponent with Frost and Burby on the mound holding Hampden to only 2 runs in the five-inning game. Offensively, Caribou was led by Frost, Tyler Raymond and Hunter all with multiple hits in the game. The final score was 12-2.
In the final game of the tournament, Caribou once again was matched up with the hometown Acadian All-Stars in a “winner take all” championship game. Pitching and great defense turned out to be Caribou’s biggest strength in the final game as Ouellette, Burby and Corbin all pitched in the finale and held Acadia to four runs. Two double plays, including one to end the game as Hunter tagged out a baserunner at the plate, spearheaded the defense. Huck, Flynn and McDougall played tremendous defense throughout the final game to help Caribou come away with the tournament title with a 6-4 victory. Caribou pounded out 10 hits in the game, as Hunter, Frost and Burby all chipped in with multiple hits.
This is the third consecutive year that Caribou has come away as 11-12 year old champions. Scott Hunter and Arik Jepson were Caribou’s coaches.
