Sports Editor
HOULTON — When you can get a dominating performance from your No. 3 pitcher on the road, things are definitely going your way.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Delivering a pitch to the plate is Viking hurler Nathanial Kamm during a May 5 game at Houlton. Kamm tossed a two-hitter, with six strikeouts as Caribou blanked Houlton 11-0 in five innings.
Such is the case for Caribou baseball coach Jimmie Thibodeau who saw senior hurler Nathanael Kamm fire a two-hit shutout last Wednesday as the Vikings blanked Houlton 11-0 in five innings. Kamm faced just 17 batters, just two over the minimum for a five-inning game.
“Our pitching was very good today,” Thibodeau said. “Nathanael pitched an excellent game. He’s probably our No. 3 pitcher. Normally, I would have taken him out [late in the game], but I hate to take a kid off the mound when he’s throwing a shutout.”
Kamm also scored two of the Vikings 11 runs when he reached base twice after getting hit by pitches.
Houlton sent four pitchers — Ian Gervais, Jordan Bragan, Hunter Hanning and Chris Anderson — to the mound in an attempt to silence the Caribou bats. The quartet combined to allow 10 hits and seven walks, with six strikeouts for the Shires.
Leading the Caribou hit parade were Chad Caverhill (double, single, 2 stolen bases, 3 runs), Ted Walker (double, single, run), Cameron Anderson (single, 2 runs), Ethan McDuffie (single, 2 stolen bases, 2 runs), Royce Landeen (single, run), and Stephen St. Peter, Lance LaMothe and Adam Chartier, each with one single.
For Houlton, Josh Harvey and Bragan each had one single.
Our hitting is starting to come around,” the Viking coach said. “We had struggled a bit at the plate this year, but today we hit the ball well. We’d like to improve our bunting to move the runners around.”
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Diving safely into second base is Viking Chad Caverhill, as Houlton’s Ian Bauersfield awaits the ball. Caverhill’s hustle helped beat a force play attempt to the bag. Caverhill was a catalyst at the plate throughout the day, collecting three hits, stealing two bases and scoring three runs in Caribou’s 11-0 win over the Shiretowners last Wednesday in Houlton.
The Vikings wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, plating one run in the top of the first inning. McDuffie roped a two-out single to shallow left field, stole second, and scored on Walker’s RBI-single to right.
The Vikings added one more run in the top of the third when Caverhill drew a lead-off walk, moved to second on a fielder’s choice and stole third. McDuffie drew a walk, and stole second. Walker was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Following a strikeout by St. Peter, LaMothe drew a bases-loaded walk, plating Caverhill.
Caribou broke open the game in the top of the fourth inning, plating four runs for a 6-0 lead and then added five more in the top of the fifth to account for the rest of the scoring.
“We are not peaking too early, which is nice,” coach Thibodeau said. “They are getting better every game and getting more comfortable with each other.”
