The Houlton 11-12-year-old all-star baseball team plays a very worthy opponent tonight when they meet Hermon in the District 3 Little League double-elimination tournament.
The Houlton all-stars picked up two wins last week to advance in the tournament, defeating Lincoln 12-0 on Friday at Houlton’s Community Park and Orono/Veazie 16-6 on June 25 in Orono. Both games were called with the run rule.
Last Friday, Will Austin threw a three-hitter across four innings, which included nine strikeouts and no walks for the Houlton all-stars. Keegan Gentle came on to close out the game in the fifth, with two groundouts and a strikeout.
Playing for the team are: Austin, Gentle, Dave Tucker, Jr., Jaron Gentle, Jason Collett, Cameron Callnan, Kyle Carver, Alex Wilde, Devon Campbell, Noah Reynolds, Derek Brown, Eli Bulley and Hunter Sennett.
Collett opened the game with a walk and scored on Wilde’s deep triple to left field for the first run of the game. Gentle then singled to drive in Wilde and Gentle scored to give Houlton a 3-0 lead.
In the second, Houlton squandered runners, as Gentle drew a walk with one out and Reynolds doubled. After the runners were held on an infield hit to the pitcher, Wilde drew a walk, but another grounder ended any Houlton threat.
Houlton capitalized on two hits — an infield single by Austin and a double off Tucker’s bat — along with three walks, which forced Tucker in with a run. In the fourth, Houlton extended its lead to 9-0 with two walks and three hits, including singles by Tucker and Carver and a deep center field triple by Sennett.
With a solid lead, Houlton added their last three runs when Collett and Wilde each singled to reach base and with one out, Austin punched a three-run homer.
In the team’s first game of the tournament, Houlton took a 3-0 lead when Collett singled, Wilde doubled and they both scored on Gentle’s triple. With two outs, Campell hit an RBI-single.
With two outs in the second, Collett and Wilde each singled, with Collett scoring. Orono/Veazie got on the scoreboard with an RBI-double.
The third inning saw Austin and Campbell each single, as Houlton scored three runs. Orono/Veazie threatened in the bottom of the frame on a two-run homer to close the scoring gap to 7-3.
Houlton held onto a three-run lead in the fourth after Gentle’s run-scoring double and Austin’s RBI-single, as Orono/Veazie scored three runs on a sacrifice and double.
In the fifth, Houlton used three walks and a single by Sennett and doubles by Collett and Austin to take a 15-6 lead and in the top of the sixth, Houlton’s Sennett scored on Wilde’s base hit with two outs to end the game.
