HOULTON, Maine — It has been 35 years since the Houlton baseball team found itself competing for a state championship.
Houlton advanced to the state Class C championship with a thrilling 10-1 thumping of No. 2 Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln Tuesday, June 12, at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor. Tuesday’s win was just the third regional championship for Houlton in baseball. The Shires finished as the Class A state runner-up in 1976 and 1983.
Coach Jim Castner’s Shiretowners (14-3 overall) play South winner Hall-Dale of Farmingdale (18-1) in Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. state title game at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.
The Shires have shown a penchant for stingy defense during their playoff run, allowing just three runs through three playoffs. Houlton advanced to the state championship by beating No. 8 Orono 2-0 in the quarterfinals and besting No. 4 George Stevens Academy 4-2 to go along with Tuesday’s 10-1 victory over MA.
The next step for the Shires will be their toughest test yet against the Hall-Dale Bulldogs.
“Hall-Dale is a very strong team,” coach Castner said. “They have a couple of excellent pitchers, a very good catcher, and a deep line up. If we can execute our game plan, and not get swept away in the moment, I do like our chances.”
Hall-Dale, the No. 1 seed in the South, beat No. 8 Winthrop 4-2 in the quarterfinals; bested No. 5 Carrabec/Madison 7-3 in the semifinals; and defeated No. 3 Maranacook 4-0 in the regional championship.
To be successful against the Bulldogs, Castner said Houlton will need to get back to the basics of baseball.
“We have been focusing on fine tuning our swings and reviewing all the defensive plays,” he said. “We have not had many chances to go over the small defensive alignments in a while, so it is always good to get the guys moving and communicating.”
The Shires will have every arm at their disposal for the state game. “It is a great luxury to be able to have Nick (Perfitt), Pat (Howe), and Jason (Collett) available,” the coach said.
