Teams ready for postseason
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
With the regular high school baseball and softball seasons finishing, local teams are ready for the postseason.
In Class D, the defending Eastern Maine Class D champion and state runner-up Katahdin Cougars await the winner of Jonesport-Beals and Machias for their quarterfinal game opponent. The game will be played in Stacyville at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
In Class C, the Houlton Lady Shires are ranked fifth and will be traveling to Orono to play the No. 4 seeded Red Riots tomorrow at 4 p.m.
“Orono has a good ball club,” said Houlton coach Bruce Nason. “They hit the ball well, play good defense and they have a good pitcher.”
The Lady Shires will have to play with intensity, which lapsed in earlier games this season.
“We started out slow,” Nason explained. “But, we have won our last six of seven games. We are playing better and at this time, we are playing well.”
Nason knows his club has to play their best if they want to stay alive in the tournament.
“We need to make the plays defensively and not give them any extra opportunities to score runs,” he said.
That means not making fielding mistakes and giving up more than three outs an inning. Orono will run and attempt to steal bases, so Houlton will have to neutralize that component by keeping Red Riot runners off the bases, he said.
“At times defensively, we play very well, but other times, we do not limit other teams to just three outs,” Nason explained. “Walks and errors have hurt us in some games.”
The Lady Shires’ batting averages are rising and they are hitting the ball better, according to their coach. Against Orono, they need to stay focused defensively and recognize the offensive openings.
“Our job will be to put the ball in play and make them field the ball,” he said. “We also need to create scoring opportunities and capitalize on any mistakes they may make.”
If the Lady Shires minimize errors and play fundamentally sound, Nason knows his squad will be competitive.
“We are capable of beating anyone we play,” he said. “The girls have worked hard and finished fifth, and with a little luck, we are capable of doing well.”
In Class D, the Southern Aroostook Lady Warriors await the winner of the Ashland/Bangor Christian game, as they are the top-ranked team.
“Either team is a good matchup,” said coach Rob Betschner. “Both teams are very good. They both have good pitching and both are well coached.”
The Lady Warriors finished the year with a 12-2 record, and haven’t played a game since the beginning of the month.
“We were playing good ball on the regular season,” Betschner said. “But, the long layover from regular season to the playoffs worries me.”
The Lady Warriors played Ashland twice on the year, but even though they didn’t play Bangor Christian on the season, the Patriots’ reputation proceeds them.
Against Ashland, Betschner feels his team played well in both games.
“We had to play well because they are competitive,” he added. “We didn’t play Bangor Christian, but in the past, they have been very successful and I’ve learned a lot from our meetings.”
For the Lady Warriors to make a playoff run, Betschner knows it’s one game at a time.
“We have to get back on our game,” he said. “We need to stay focused on the task at hand.”
Last Tuesday, the No. 8 Houlton Shiretowners hosted No. 9 Narraguagus for the right to advance to the Class C quarterfinals tomorrow against No. 1 George Stevens Academy.
In Class D, the No. 10 Southern Aroostook Warriors played No. 7 Bangor Christian and the winner advances to the quarterfinal game.
On the girls’ side, the Class D Greater Houlton Christian Academy Lady Eagles were ranked No. 12 and traveled to play No. 5 Woodland for the right to the quarterfinal game against No. 4 Katahdin. The game will be played in Stacyville at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.
At Hodgdon, the No. 7 Lady Hawks hosted No. 10 Deer Isle-Stonington, with the winner heading to the quarterfinals against No. 2 Limestone.
