Local baseball teams survived some poor weather during certain stretches this spring and will conclude regular season play this afternoon.
Thursday is designated as the final day for make-up games, with the final Heal Point standings due to be released Friday and the preliminary round of the playoffs set to get underway early next week.
Washburn and Limestone-MSSM squared off on the Eagles’ home field yesterday, while today’s schedule has Central Aroostook at Wisdom and Fort Fairfield at Washburn in Class D matchups and Presque Isle at Caribou in a Class B showdown.
The Class D rankings as of Tuesday have Southern Aroostook in first place and Bangor Christian and Washburn right behind. Limestone-MSSM is fourth, Shead of Eastport fifth, Penobscot Valley of Howland sixth, Woodland seventh and Stearns eighth.
The Tigers of Fort Fairfield were ninth, followed by Wisdom, Hodgdon, Katahdin and Ashland for the final preliminary positions as only the top 13 qualifying out of 19 teams in the division.
Beaver coach Ben Goodwin said it has been quite a season, with the team taking an 11-1 record into its final two contests.
“So far I have been very happy with the level of play and determination of my athletes,” he said. “They have fought through some tough situations and have found ways to pull it out and be on top after the last out has been recorded.
“Our biggest key so far to our success I believe has been our ability to not dwell on our mistakes and errors. They fight through it and battle back to make up for anything that has happened. We seem to have someone different each week and even each day that takes control and leads us to our success,” Goodwin added.
In the Beavers’ most recent game, played Friday, sophomore Noah Caron tossed a three-hitter in a 3-1 win over Wisdom played in St. Agatha. Two days earlier, Keagan Page had a strong outing on the mound, surrendering just two hits in the five-inning stint, as Washburn blanked Hodgdon at home, 10-0.
In other recent Class D action, Fort Fairfield clubbed Central Aroostook last Wednesday, 2-1, behind Ryan Pelkey’s three hits and three RBI. Jon Bernard and Noah Bernard also slugged out three hits each for the Tigers, while Dustin Pryor’s two singles led the winless Panthers, who also fell to East Grand and Hodgdon.
The Hornets, at 5-11, are still in the playoff hunt despite losing four consecutive games. Coach Dan Cote’s team lost to Wisdom last Tuesday, then to Southern Aroostook, Fort Kent and Limestone-MSSM later in the week.
In Class B, Oceanside of Rockland is atop the standings, followed closely by Camden Hills. Hermon is third, Waterville fourth, Mount Desert Island fifth and Winslow sixth.
Caribou currently holds the No. 7 position and Old Town is eighth, with John Bapst, Belfast, Ellsworth, Presque Isle and Foxcroft Academy ninth through 13th, respectively.
The Wildcats, led by rookie head coach Jim York, have used consistency to be in the thick of the race to the post-season. The team started off 1-4, but has a chance to finish at .500 by beating Caribou this afternoon.
“This group never gives up and always fights until the last out,” York said. “They have a lot of pride and have made my first year one that I will always remember.”
York said Saul Nunez, Andrew Paterson, Aaron Kofstad and Ben Buckley have led the pitching staff, while Nunez and Tyler Seeley have been the “anchors” on offense. Nunez leads the team in runs scored, while Seeley paces the Wildcats in hits and RBI.
“We have been in every single game we have played. I am very proud of the way my team has fought until the very last out and they should be proud of the way they have represented their school and community,” the coach added.
Presque Isle played just one game last week, shutting out Fort Kent last Tuesday, 11-0.
