The postseason picture is becoming clearer as the regular season rapidly comes to a close.
Four of the five local squads — Houlton, Hodgdon, Southern Aroostook and Katahdin — are playoff bound, while the fifth (East Grand) could still sneak into the mix. The regular season ends Wednesday, May 31, followed by preliminary playoffs on June 6, quarterfinals on June 8, and regional finals June 10. State championship games are slated for June 13-14.
Hodgdon catcher Matt Horton, right, applies the tag to East Grand’s Noah Sixbery during Wednesday’s game in Hodgdon. The Hawks won the contest 7-4.
(Joseph Cyr)
Katahdin (9-1) has dropped from the top spot and is now second in Class D North, while Hodgdon (8-4) is fifth and Southern Aroostook (5-5) is seventh. East Grand (3-7) is on the outside at 15th, but if the Vikings can secure a couple more wins they may yet qualify for the playoffs.
Houlton (10-1) is third in Class C North and should earn a first-round bye. The Shires could still move up to second or first depending on the outcome of their final games.
The following is a recap of games played through Monday.
Hodgdon 4, Southern Aroostook 3 — At Hodgdon Monday, the Hawks picked up a key victory over Southern Aroostook. Dillan Buzzell ripped an RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Hawks past SA. Buzzell finished the game with two singles for Hodgdon, while Wyatt Foster singled and scored three runs.
Luis Morales paced the Warriors with a double and two singles.
Southern Aroostook 20, Madawaska 4 — At Dyer Brook Saturday, Hunter Lawlor slammed a home run, two singles and drove in three runs to power the Warriors by the Owls in the first game of a doubleheader.
Morales chipped in with a double, two singles and two RBIs while Nolan Altvater added two singles and two RBIs.
Southern Aroostook 17, Madawaska 3 — In the second game of the doubleheader, Gavin Viking drove in five runs with a triple and three singles to power the Warriors by the Owls for a sweep.
Nolan Altvater added a double, single and three RBIs for the Warriors, while Garrett Siltz had two singles and three RBIs. Jacob Theriault notched a single and an RBI for the Owls and Tristan Cyr and Zac Epstein each singled.
Houlton 31, Limestone-MSSM 3 — At Limestone, the Shires rolled to the big win. Individual results were not reported.
Fort Fairfield 10, East Grand 0 — At Fort Fairfield Saturday, the Vikings were shut out by the hosts. Individual results were not reported.
The Fort Fairfield baseball team moved to 10-0 after a 10-0 blanking of East Grand Saturday in Fort Fairfield. That same afternoon, the Viking softball team handed the Tigers a 15-11 loss.
East Grand 14, Washburn 4 — At Washburn Friday, the Vikings notched the 10-run victory. Individual results were not reported.
Houlton 4, Orono 3 — At Houlton Friday, Morgan Phillips had an infield single followed by an Orono throwing error in the bottom of the seventh inning which allowed Nick Perfitt to score the game-winning run for Houlton. Isia Bouchard and Cameron Graham registered two hits apiece for the Shiretowners.
For Orono, Jackson Coutts tallied two hits
East Grand 14, Washburn 4 — At Danforth Friday, Sam Plummer went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead East Grand to a win. Trevor Noyes collected four hits and drove in four runs and scored two more for the Vikings. Matt Potter added two singles and two runs.
Katahdin 16, Southern Aroostook 3 — At Stacyville Thursday, one day after suffering their first loss of the season, the Cougars got back on the winning track in a game against RSU 50 rival Southern Aroostook.
Cooper Drew pitched the win, yielding three earned runs on six hits and two walks, with eight strikeouts for Katahdin.
For SA, Garrett Siltz, Hunter Walker, Hunter Lawlor and Nate Lilley shared mound duties. The group combined to yield 16 runs on 10 hits and four walks, with four strikeouts.
Brody Guiggey led Katahdin offensively with three hits, including a double, and scored four runs. Other Cougar repeat hitters were Drew (2 singles) and Zach Hagan (2 singles, 5 RBIs).
For the Warriors, Lawlor had a double and single and drove in a run.
Trying to dive back to first base is Hodgdon’s Ben Tuttle as East Grand first baseman Wyatt Oliver awaits the ball. Tuttle was picked off on this play, but Hodgdon was victorious.
(Joseph Cyr)
Hodgdon 7, East Grand 4 — At Hodgdon, Hawk Andrew Tuttle collected an RBI-double, RBI-single and scored two runs to lead Hodgdon over visiting East Grand. Wyatt Foster singled, scored a run and drove in three runs for the Hawks (7-4).
Trevor Noyes singled twice and scored a run for East Grand (1-6).
Houlton 11, Caribou 0 — At Houlton, Pat Howe tossed a one-hitter while striking out seven as Houlton triumphed in five innings. Nick Botting collected two hits while driving in three runs for the Shiretowners. Thomas Prescott, Cameron Graham, Colby Callnan, Isia Bouchard and Keegan Gentle had two hits apiece for Houlton.
Alex Ezzy singled for Caribou.
Stearns 15, Katahdin 5 — At Stacyville Wednesday, the Cougars fell for the first time on the season.
Southern Aroostook 10, East Grand 9 — At Dyer Brook Tuesday, Nate Lilley recorded a triple, double and single with five RBIs to power the Warriors by the Vikings of Danforth. Eighth-grader Jacob Brooks chipped in with a double and single for the Warriors.
Trevor Noyes singled and drove in two runs for East Grand. Southern Aroostook improves to 3-3 with the win, while East Grand dips to 1-5.
