CARIBOU, Maine — Following a shaky first inning on the mound, Jake Berkoski settled in to dominate the rest of the way, leading Caribou to an 11-3 victory over Presque Isle in the finals of the Northern Maine Community Recreation Association 10-12 year-old baseball tournament.
The championship game was played last Wednesday at the Robert P. White Field. The early rounds of the tourney had taken place two days earlier, with eight County teams taking part.
Berkoski allowed three first-inning runs, but then blanked PI, the defending tournament champs, over the final five innings. He struck out 11 batters and walked only one. Despite surrendered those early runs, Berkoski struck out the side in the first and fanned all three batters he faced in the second.
Caribou jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the top of the first as Cullin Caverhill led off with a walk and moved to second on a fielder’s choice bunt by Brevin Barnes. Both scored on a triple by Berkoski, who capped the rally by coming across on a passed ball.
Presque Isle’s half of the inning was highlighted by a single by Sam Beaulieu, a run-scoring double by Riley Roderick and an RBI hit by Chance Bragan, who also scored on a passed ball to tie the score.
Caribou went ahead for good in the second as Eyzie McBreairty walked and scored following another single by Caverhill and a PI throwing error. Barnes drove in Caverhill with a single to make it 5-3.
In the third, Spencer Soucy tripled and scored on Tyler Soucy’s RBI single.
Presque Isle threatened in the third as Roderick ripped a one-out double, but he was caught in a rundown for the second out of the inning. Bragan tripled, but was stranded at third after Jackson Maynard grounded out to end the inning.
The hosts put the game away in the fourth by scoring three times. Caverhill again was part of the rally as he singled to lead off the inning. Barnes then had an infield hit and advanced to third on a throwing error, with Caverhill scoring on the play. Berkoski followed with another infield hit before Sawyer Deprey drove in both Barnes and Berkoski with a line drive single to left field, making it 9-3.
PI mounted scoring chances in both the fourth and fifth innings, but both times were foiled and left two runners on base in each frame.
Caribou scored its final two runs in the fifth as Tyler Soucy singled and Griffin McNeal and Caverhill both walked. Barnes plated Soucy on a fielder’s choice groundout before Caverhill scored his fourth run of the game after Hayden Hunter reached on an error.
The game ended Berkoski induced Beaulieu to pop out to Hunter at shortstop with a runner on in the sixth.
Roderick and Bragan split pitching duties for Presque Isle, with Roderick striking out nine in four innings of work and Bragan striking out four batters in hits two innings.
Caribou played error-free baseball behind Berkoski, while PI committed four errors in the contest.
On July 27, Caribou had beaten Fort Fairfield in the quarterfinals and Mapleton in the semifinals, while PI topped Van Buren in the opening round before coming from behind to defeat Mars Hill in the semis.
Other teams participating were Ashland and Madawaska.
