ORRINGTON, Maine — The Houlton 11-12 baseball all-stars are heading to the state tournament following an impressive, and historic, 13-1, 5-inning victory over Orrington/Brewer Friday evening.
The win marks the first time Houlton has won the District 3 title since 1976. The Houlton All-Stars will play their first state game at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 24, against the winner of a Saturday’s contest between the District 2 champ (either Medomak Valley or Oceanside) and the District 4 champ (Biddeford).
Members of the Houlton 11-12-year-old All-Star baseball team in the District 3 Little League Tournament include Kurtis Reynolds, Collin Moody, Jed Gilpatrick, Cody Johnston, Caleb Tuttle, Logan Tapley, Silas Graham, Braden Dow, Garrett Harvey, Brock Thompson, Haven Hanning, Nolan Hodgkins. The manager is Montie Graham with assistant coaches Chad Thompson and P.J. Harvey.
“We have really come together as a team,” coach Graham said. “We are playing really good ball right now. I don’t know if the kids really understand the significance of this win just yet.”
Pitcher Garrett Harvey tossed the complete game for Houlton, allowing just one run on five hits and no walks, with six strikeouts. Brewer/Orrington used three pitchers in the contest, Gavin Carr, Logan Levensalor and Cameron Legassie, who combined to allow 16 hits, one walk and one hit batter, with five strikeouts.
Coming into the game, coach Graham said his goal was to get Brewer/Orrington’s ace pitcher, Gavin Carr, out of the game by working the pitch count. Houlton did precisely that as all nine players batted in the first inning, with Houlton jumping to a 4-0 lead.
“We were able to score five runs on him (Carr) and scored a bunch more once he was out of the game,” Graham said.
The Houlton bats have been red-hot throughout the District 3 tournament, and Friday’s title game was no exception as the team based 16 hits, including a two-run home run over the centerfield fence by Reynolds, who also added three singles.
Moody, Graham, Harvey and Thompson each had two singles, while Hodgkins, Tapley, Gilpatrick and Johnston each had one single.
Leading Brewer/Orrington were Carr, Sam Blanchard, Nick Chaffee, Legassie, and Levensalor each with one single.
Houlton wasted little time getting the fireworks going as Moody blistered the first pitch of the game into right field for a single as part of the team’s four-run rally to start the game. Brewer responded with its only run in the bottom of the first when Carr singled and eventually scored on Chaffe’s RBI single.
Houlton added an insurance run in the fourth inning as Caleb Tuttle was hit by a pitch, moved to second on Johnston’s walk and came around to score on Hodgkins’ sacrifice fly.
Houlton broke open the game in the top of the fifth inning, highlighted by RBI singles by Graham, Harvey and the two-run home run by Reynolds.
Maine District 3 is comprised of the following leagues: Bangor West, Bangor East, Hermon, Brewer, Old Town, Orrington, Orono/Veazie, Caribou, Lincoln, Bronco L.L., Millinocket, Monticello/Border, Katahdin Valley, Glenburn, Holbrook, Houlton and Sebasticook Valley.
According to coach Graham, since 1958 when the District 3, 11-12-year-old division was formed Houlton won the district title in 1971 as District 7 (which was Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties), and in 1976 as District 3.
Houlton did win the 9-10-year-old District 3 championship in 2009.
All four of Houlton’s earlier playoff games were held on their home field. Houlton beat Seabasticook 10-5 June 28, followed by a 6-2 win over the Hampden Broncos July 1 and a 4-3 victory over Old Town July 7.
Against Brewer July 11, Houlton needed extra innings to secure an 18-8 victory. Houlton’s bats were red-hot as the team bashed 19 hits. Brock Thompson blasted a grand slam, while Garrett Harvey had a two-run home run and chipped in three singles.
Silas Graham and Jed Gilpatrick both had two doubles and a single and Nolan Hodgkins had a two-run home run. Graham also picked up the win, pitching two relief innings.
Hodgkins hit a two-run home run in the top of first inning to give Houlton a 2-0 lead. Brewer tied it up in bottom of the first as Logan Levensalor and Sam Blanchard each had RBI singles.
Brewer took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the second on a Houlton error and a two-run single by Sam Blanchard.
Houlton scored a run in top of the third on Moody’s double and an RBI single from Harvey, to cut the lead to 5-3.
Brewer went ahead 6-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a double and a Houlton error. Houlton scored three times in the top of the fifth to tie the game 6-all. Graham hit a two out double, Harvey followed with a two-run home run, followed by singles from Reynolds and Tapely and a run-producing double from Gilpatrick to tie the game.
Graham took over mound duties in the bottom of the sixth, striking out the side to preserve the tie.
In the top of the seventh, Houlton erupted for 12 runs in the top of the seventh inning, highlighted by a Brock Thompson grand slam. Brewer scored a pair of runs in bottom of the seventh, but was unable to overcome the large deficit.
At Houlton July 7 against Old Town, Graham had two hits, including a solo home run, and Thompson had a home run.
The visitors scored two runs in the top of first inning on a lead off walk, single by Matt Seymour and a two-out, two-run single by Jordan Cota. Houlton got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second inning on three walks and an infield error. Houlton tied it up in the bottom of the third on Graham’s solo homer.
Houlton took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth as Reynolds laced an RBI single. Old Town tied the game in the top of the sixth inning, but Houlton received a walk-off homer from Thompson to seal the win.
Harvey tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and two walks, with nine strikeouts.
Hosting the Hampden Broncos July 1, Houlton received two hits from Graham, including a two-run home run; while Hodgkins had two hits, including a home run. Reynolds added two singles.
Harvey pitched the win, scattering six hits and one walk, with eight strikeouts over six innings.
In the tourney opener June 28, Houlton’s Haven Hanning had a two-run homer, while Hodgkins doubled and Harvey had two singles.
Hodgkins pitched the win, striking out eight.
