As the No. 3 seed in the Class C Heal Point standings, the Houlton Shiretowners will host the winner of No. 6 Lee Academy/No. 11 Calais on Thursday at 4 p.m. in Community Park.
The Shiretowners finished the regular season with a 10-4 record, including a 13-0 win over No. 5 Mattanawcook Academy.
Houlton’s Ryan Dee fired the shutout, allowing only two hits (including a triple) off Ryan Coburn’s bat, while striking out six.
Jake Drew keyed Houlton’s offense by driving in three runs and scoring twice, along with Gage Hunt, Ethan Bouchard and Dan Howe each scoring twice, as well.
The Shiretowners have played Calais twice this season, but they have not been matched against Lee Academy.
According to coach Jim Castner, no matter who the opponent is on Thursday, the Shiretowners need to be ready.
“My expectations in playoffs are to focus on the upcoming game and not overlook anything by thinking too far ahead,” he said. “If we can stay focused mentally and balanced physically, we have the capability to go far in playoffs.”
If Calais is the quarterfinal opponent, the Shiretowners, according to their coach, need to play a complete game.
“When our offense is clicking and our pitchers throw strikes with a defense that’s steady behind them we can be a dangerous team,” he said. “Due to injuries, we were a little short staffed down in Calais, but luckily we are healthy now. Calais is also a tough place to play. They are a good home team and the bus ride down doesn’t help either.”
The Shiretowners split with Calais, winning 9-1 in Houlton before losing 7-6 in Calais.
“We have not faced Lee, but they are always a strong program,” added Castner.
The Shiretowners’ forte this season has not only been in their offense, but in their pitchers throwing strikes. The critical key for Houlton will be making plays in the field.
“If we fail to be defensively sound, that could trip us up,” said Castner. “Our pitching staff has been great all season, but we don’t have that one guy that can blow it by people. We have to rely on our defense to make plays.”
Last year, the No. 9 Shiretowners reached the playoffs and lost in the preliminary game to host Searsport, 3-0.
