FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Playing for an offense that averages just shy of 14 runs per game, senior right-hander Carter Bruce and the rest of the Fort Fairfield staff are used to pitching with the lead.
The Tigers followed that blueprint in their playoff opener Thursday, scoring five runs over the first two innings before closing out the game with a five-run sixth inning.
As a result, No. 1 Fort Fairfield bested playoff nemesis Penobscot Valley of Howland 11-1 and advanced to play No. 5 Hodgdon, an 8-4 quarterfinal winner over Schenck of East Millinocket, in Saturday’s 1 p.m. Class D North semifinal.
Bruce (5-0) pitched all six innings and surrendered one earned run, which came in the second inning on a two-out throwing error. He struck out 10 batters and walked only two while giving up just five hits.
Senior Carter Bruce of Fort Fairfield fires a pitch during Thursday’s Class D North baseball quarterfinal against Penobscot Valley of Howland. Bruce allowed five hits over six innings and struck out 10 in the Tigers’ 11-1 victory. (Kevin Sjoberg)
“Overall, all my pitches were working well today,” said Bruce. “I was able to locate my fastball and then mix in a curve or a slider and I was throwing them all for strikes.”
“It was just another consistent performance,” said Fort Fairfield coach John Ala. “He was able to keep their hitters off balance and pitched to contact when he needed to or get ahead 0-2 and blow the fastball by them for a strikeout.”
It was the 10th consecutive game Fort Fairfield pitching had allowed two or fewer runs.
The Tigers scored all the runs they would need in the first inning, with both runs coming after the first two batters were retired. Jon Bernard drew a walk and Ryan Player singled before Jared Harvey grounded a single into right field to score Bernard. The ball scooted past the right fielder, allowing Player to reach home plate.
Fort Fairfield loaded the bases in the second inning on a walk, a line-drive single and a bunt single before Bernard drew a walk to bring home a run and Player collected an RBI on a fielder’s choice grounder. A dropped fly ball in the outfield allowed a third run to score, making it 5-1.
PVHS starting pitcher Jayden Folster settled down and tossed two shutout innings before the Tigers scratched out an unearned run in the fifth. Folster allowed the first two FF batters to reach in the sixth before he was lifted in favor of reliever Reece Carter, who promptly allowed an RBI double by Bruce and a sacrifice fly by Dylan Jandreau.
The next five batters reached base on a walk, a hit batsman and three hits, with Bernard’s single to left providing the 10-run margin and the implementation of the 10-run rule ending the game early with the victory going to Fort Fairfield.
Fort Fairfield rapped out 11 hits in the game, two by No. 9 hitter Colby Langner. Harvey added two singles and Isaac Cyr reached on a pair of bunt singles.
“We hit up and down the lineup, but I thought our bottom of the order really came through,” Ala said. “We capitalized on a couple errors, and that comes with having a veteran group.”
The Tigers had been eliminated by the Howlers in each of the past two seasons. Two years ago it was in a preliminary playoff game that took 11 innings before being decided and last year was by a 3-2 score in the regional championship game.
Fort Fairfield senior Jon Bernard (left) is congratulated by teammate Dylan Jandreau after scoring the first run of Thursday’s Class D North baseball quarterfinal at Fort Fairfield. The Tigers beat Penobscot Valley of Howland 11-1. (Kevin Sjoberg)
“After the last couple years, it was good to finally be able to put a beating on them,” Bruce said.
Joe Tuulima singled and scored the lone run for PVHS, which ended with an 11-7 record as the eighth seed.
