With the midway point to the regular season approaching, several local baseball and softball squads are making strong bids to get into the post-season.
On the baseball diamond, Washburn is off to its best start in many years. The team has won five of its first six and is third in the Eastern Maine Class D standings, behind only PVHS and undefeated Southern Aroostook.
The Fort Fairfield and Ashland squads are currently in spots that would put them in the playoffs. The Tigers, at 3-2, are in 10th place and the Hornets, with a 2-5 mark, are in 13th. Ashland holds the final post-season slot for the time being, as 13 of the 19 teams in the division will advance. Central Aroostook is still looking for its first win after an 0-5 start.
The Wildcat baseball team is also in the hunt in EM Class B. PI was in 12th place, at 2-5, heading into Tuesday night’s showdown against Caribou.
The softball standings see Washburn in first place in ‘D’ with a 5-2 record. The team has benefited from its ability to win the close ones as the Beavers are 3-0 in one-run games. Fort Fairfield, with a 4-1 mark following Monday’s victory over Wisdom, and Ashland, at 4-3 after knocking off Southern Aroostook on Monday, are fifth and sixth, respectively.
The Central Aroostook Panthers are currently 10th with their 3-4 record.
In the Class B ranks, Presque Isle has been steady throughout the first half of the season and after its doubleheader split with Mount Desert Island Saturday was at 4-3 entering Tuesday’s clash with the rival Vikings.
Summaries of some of the softball games played from May 6-12 are as follows:
Fort Fairfield 16, Wisdom 7
The Tigers scored nine times in the top of the seventh inning to break a tie game and beat the Pioneers in St. Agatha Monday to sweep the season series.
Logan Bubar knocked in four runs on a pair of singles and Teresa Maynard had three hits for the Tigers, who were outhit by the opponents, 11-10.
Limestone 12, Washburn 1
The visiting Eagles ran their record to 5-0 with the easy win over No. 1 Washburn Monday. Melissa Cantafio hit a grand slam home run and had two other hits for the winners. Teammates Ellyzabeth Bencivenga and Madeline Williams combined to go 9 for 9.
Carmen Bragg and Liza Durette had the lone hits for the Beavers.
Presque Isle 7, MDI 5
The Wildcats won game one Saturday behind Kelsey Gilson and Shea Brown, who had two hits and two RBI each. Carly Bell gained her first pitching victory of the season by getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh inning.
MDI 5, Presque Isle 3
The Trojans came back to take the second game of the doubleheader thanks to a 14-hit attack. Chelsey Argraves had two hits and drove in a run for the Wildcats, who committed four errors in the contest.
Washburn 11, East Grand 10
The Beavers stormed out to an eight-run lead after three innings but had to hold off a late comeback effort by the Vikings in the game played at Washburn Friday. Bragg’s three hits led the Beavers to their fifth win of the season. Teammates Durette and Brittany Corey had two hits each.
Ashland 10, Fort Fairfield 9
Jaci Deabay’s bases-clearing triple highlighted a four-run first inning rally and powered the Hornets to the victory. The Tigers wiped out the early deficit and took the lead in the fifth inning, but Ashland scored on a hit batsmen in the bottom of the seventh to win in walk-off style.
Laura Sturgeon, Ally Beaulier and Rachel Gillis had two hits apiece for the winners, while Taylor Churchill, Megan Jellison and Logan Bubar were the repeat hitters for Fort.
Central Aroostook 26, Hodgdon 4
Karli Levesque and Whitnie Bradbury rapped out four hits each to key the Panthers to the easy win. Carly Grass added three hits in CA’s 19-hit attack.
Limestone-MSSM 12, Ashland 5
The Eagles lined out 12 hits and used a seven-run rally in the sixth inning to get past the home team Hornets. Cantafio had three hits, including a triple and a double, to key the Eagle offense. Cassidy Pelletier had a two-run single and Caitlin Paradis had a pair of singles for Ashland.
Presque Isle 13, Houlton 5
Carly Bell smashed a two-run homer and also had two doubles to lead PI to the win at Houlton last Wednesday. The Wildcats had 13 hits in the game, with Jordi Legassie, Brown and Gilson contributing two each.
Madawaska 8, Ashland 1
Last Wednesday, the Hornets were surprised by the Owls. Pelletier banged out a triple and Gabby Cyr doubled for Ashland.
Washburn 20, Central Aroostook 11
Corey had three hits and Durette had two, with the pair combining for five RBI, as the Beavers took care of the Panthers in game one of last Wednesday’s twinbill played in Washburn. Levesque had three hits for CA.
Washburn 11, Central Aroostook 10
Catelyn Coulombe and Bragg had two hits each as the Beavers pulled off the close win in the nightcap. Sheratin Kelly’s two hits paced the Panthers.
Washburn 9, Ashland 8
The Beavers scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to come from behind and beat the Hornets last Tuesday. Durette knocked in the winning run with a bases-clearing hit and also got the victory on the mound. Marissa Chasse had three hits for Ashland.
Game reports for several of the baseball games that took place during the same time frame are as follows:
Wisdom 10, Fort Fairfield 0
Nate Boynton tossed a shutout Monday, going the distance, as Wisdom atoned for an earlier loss to the Tigers.
Southern Aroostook 15, Ashland 4
In a game called after five innings due to the “run rule,” the Warriors remained undefeated with the road victory. Will McGary’s three hits led the winners in the Monday contest. Four SA pitchers combined on the two-hitter.
Presque Isle 3, MDI 2
The Wildcats prevailed in the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader behind the right arm of senior Saul Nunez, who pitched a four-hitter and struck out 11 in the process. Karson Wilcox singled twice and knocked in a run, while Andrew Paterson and Nunez had the other run-scoring hits for PI.
MDI 6, Presque Isle 4
Tyler Seeley ripped a long two-run homer to put PI in front after an inning, but the Trojans scored two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings for the comeback victory. Josh Gordon and Paterson had two hits each for the ’Cats.
Washburn 22, East Grand 3
The Beavers pounded out 18 hits, with Michael Ericson, Mccall Turner, Noah Farley, Keagan Page, Parker Thompson and Carter Doak notching at least two each in Friday’s lopsided win played at home.
Fort Fairfield 20, Ashland 7
Jon Bernard’s five hits and four RBI paced FF past the Hornets Friday in Ashland. Ryan Pelkey contributed four hits for the winners, while Timmy Tarr had three to lead the hosts.
Hodgdon 27, Central Aroostook 10
The Hawks kept the Panthers winless Friday by scoring 21 times in the top of the fifth. Nick Dominique tripled to lead CA at the plate.
Limestone-MSSM 7, Ashland 3
Jeremy Caron’s three hits and two RBI were not enough Thursday as Ashland was beaten by Limestone-MSSM. Nick Belanger had two hits in the loss.
Chris Bernier doubled and singled and drove in two runs to lead the unbeaten Eagles.
Ashland 11, Madawaska 9
Malcolm Milligan and Tyler Chasse had two hits each as Ashland broke out to a 10-3 lead and held on to defeat the Owls in a game played last Wednesday on the Hornets’ home field.
Houlton 3, Presque Isle 0
The Wildcats suffered their second shutout loss of the season last Wednesday as Ryan Dee shut down the PI bats by tossing a complete-game four-hitter. Nunez had two of the hits for PI.
Washburn 11, Central Aroostook 5
The Beavers stayed hot behind the pitching of Alex Pelletier, who gave up only two hits in five innings of work in the win over the Panthers last Wednesday. Page and Noah Caron both had two-run singles during a five-run first inning.
Washburn 5, Ashland 2
Last Tuesday on the Beavers’ home diamond, Washburn had just three hits, but that was enough in the low-scoring battle against the Hornets. Page went the first five innings and garnered the win on the mound, while Ben Vaughn went the first three innings on the mound for Ashland.
