PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Jaren Winger struck out 15 batters and his Cushman’s team plated single runs in the first and third innings to defeat Fort Fairfield, 2-1, in the Northern Maine Community Recreation Association’s Pony League (ages 13-15) baseball championship, played Monday at the pool field.
Cushman’s, the No. 2 seed in the southern division, had advanced to the finals by nipping Grand Falls, the top seed out of the north, Thursday by the same 2-1 score.
Fort Fairfield, the top seed in the south, made it into the game by besting the north’s No. 2, St. Agatha, 7-1, in the other semifinal played Thursday.
Jaren Winger, right, gives a high five to Cushman’s teammate Mitchell Dumais after scoring a run during Monday’s Pony League championship baseball game played in Presque Isle. Cushman’s defeated Fort Fairfield, 2-1.
(Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg)
Cushman’s, the defending Aroostook County champion, and Fort Fairfield had met twice during the regular season, with each team winning a game. And this one wasn’t decided until the final out was recorded as FF had the tying run at second base as it ended.
Presque Isle scored in the first as leadoff hitter Andrew Hewitt reached on a hit and came around from third base after Winger collected an RBI on a groundout.
The score became 2-0 in the top of the third after Winger ripped a two-out triple and scored after a pickoff attempt was thrown away.
Meanwhile, Winger controlled the game on the mound. He surrendered only one hit over the first five innings before Fort Fairfield finally got to him in the sixth. Chris Gill opened with a long triple to center field and with two outs, Dawson Watson drove him in with a base hit into right. Watson moved to second on a passed ball, but Winger struck out Alex Sprague, with catcher Hewitt having to throw to first for the putout, to clinch the win.
Winger struck out the side in the first, second and fourth innings. He was able to leave the bases loaded in the first and third innings by recording strikeouts to end both threats. Winger fanned six batters in a row during a stretch from the first to the third inning and also struck out five consecutively over the fourth and fifth innings.
Jared Harvey also had an impressive outing as Fort Fairfield’s pitcher. He went all six innings and allowed only four hits, striking out 11 and walking only two batters.
Leading their respective teams on offense were Cushman’s Hewitt and FF’s Gill, both with a pair of hits.
