CA is only definite baseball playoff team in area
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
It appears that it’s going to be a lean year as far as the number of local baseball teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Central Aroostook Panthers, currently ranked first in Eastern Maine Class D at 11-3, are the only sure bet to make the playoffs, with the Fort Fairfield Tigers the only other team still with a shot to get in.
The Tigers, currently seeded 10th in the division at 6-8, will need to beat the Panthers when they meet in both teams’ regular season finale this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Fort Fairfield. Only the top nine teams will advance into the playoffs, with Shead and Jonesport-Beals, the current eighth- and ninth-place teams, the only ones FF has a chance of overtaking.
Limestone-MSSM, Washburn and Ashland are out of the mix in EM Class D, while Presque Isle and Caribou will not make the cut in the Class B ranks. The Wildcats and Vikings will play at PI tonight at 7 p.m. to wrap up regular season play.
Summaries of games played through Monday are as follows:
Central Aroostook 6, Wisdom 4 — The Panthers won their biggest game of the season Monday, beating previously-unbeaten Wisdom at home in come-from-behind fashion.
CA trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, but tied the game in the fifth and took the lead an inning later.
Dan Brewer and Brendan York had RBIs in the sixth to put the Panthers on top. Starting pitcher Logan McLaughlin struck out eight batters before handing the ball to Brewer in the sixth. McLaughlin was an offensive cog with a double, a single and an RBI.
Presque Isle 4, Bucksport 2 — The Wildcats surprised the Bucks in game one of Monday’s doubleheader in Bucksport as Saul Nunez, Wilder York and Ryley Norton combined to throw an the eight-hitter.
Tyler Seeley had an RBI double and Jacob Player contributed a run-scoring single during PI’s three-run rally in the first inning. York singled and scored two runs for the Wildcats.
Bucksport 5, Presque Isle 3 — Game two went the Bucks’ way as they took a three-run lead after four innings and held off the pesky Wildcats.
Player went the distance on the mound for PI and gave up eight hits. He also led the offense with a double and a single.
Van Buren 14, Ashland 4 — The Crusaders kept Ashland winless on the season Friday, outhitting the hosts 9-2 en route to the victory.
Brandon Bouchard homered for Van Buren, while Royce MacDonald had an RBI double to pace the Hornets’ offense.
Presque Isle 6, Fort Kent 5 – The Wildcats won in dramatic fashion at home Thursday, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings and winning it in the eighth on Tyler Seeley’s RBI triple.
Ryley Norton’s two-out RBI single in the seventh helped extend the game. Seeley, Norton and Evan Waddell had two hits apiece for the Wildcats.
Tom Morin tripled, doubled and singled to pace the Warriors.
Fort Fairfield 3, Limestone-MSSM 2 — The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and Landon Towle finished up his complete-game with a scoreless seventh as Fort won a key game Thursday at home.
jMavor Photography photo
FORT FAIRFIELD catcher
Austin Bixler
tries in vain to catch this foul pop-up
during Thursday’s home game against Limestone-MSSM.
The Tigers used the pitching of Landon Towle
and the clutch hitting of Travis Noyes
to pull out a 3-2 victory.
Towle had an RBI single and Travis Noyes drove in two runs with a single for the winning rally against hard-luck losing pitcher Chris Bernier, who had a two-run single in the first inning to stake his Eagles to the early lead.
Washburn 10, Ashland 9 — The Beavers won for the second time this season, both coming against the Hornets, as Keagan Page drove home the winning run with a single in the bottom of the eighth.
Ethan Pendexter also had a key hit, driving in the tying run in the seventh for Washburn.
Amos Ward doubled and singled and Jordan Beaulier had a pair of hits for Ashland.
Central Aroostook 8, Madawaska 5 — The Panthers avenged one of their only losses of the season as McLaughlin and York combined for the pitching win.
Brewer had a double and a triple, while McLaughlin banged out three hits to lead Central Aroostook’s offense.
Madawaska 9, Fort Fairfield 4 — Last Tuesday in Madawaska, the Owls overcame an early 4-0 deficit by collecting 11 hits in the game shortened by rain after five innings.
Noyes had two singles and two RBIs and Austin Bernier chipped in with a run-scoring single for the Tigers.
Katahdin 18, Ashland 3 — The Cougars eased past the Hornets behind Mook McGraw’s two solo homers and a Cody Cunningham two-run blast.
Tyler Chasse had a hit and two RBIs to lead the Hornets. Royce MacDonald and Keith Holmes collected Ashland’s only other hits.
