Playoffs underway for baseball, softball teams
The Central Aroostook Panthers hadn’t fielded a baseball team in a couple years heading into this season, but that didn’t stop them from pulling off a major upset in the Class D North preliminary round of the playoffs.
Alan Rideout threw a complete-game four-hitter Monday in Eastport as No. 12 CA knocked off No. 5 Shead, 2-1. The hosts took an early lead before the Panthers tallied the tying run in the fourth and pulled ahead in the top of the seventh.
Rideout and Dustin Pryor scored a run each for the Panthers, who on Thursday in the quarterfinals will play the winner of Tuesday’s prelim between No. 4 Washburn and No. 13 Schenck.
The 11th-ranked Presque Isle Wildcat baseball team was also in action Monday, losing by a 6-0 final to No. 6 Oceanside in Thomaston in a Class B North prelim.
Mariner starting pitcher Nick Mazurek lost his no-hit bid in the top of the seventh when Cooper Madore singled for Presque Isle. Oceanside’s five-run fourth inning blew open a close game.
Caleb Nadeau started on the mound for PI and Jaren Winger came on in the fourth and went the rest of the way.
The Wildcats made it into the playoffs by beating Fort Kent last Tuesday and Caribou the next evening at home in their regular season finale. Nadeau threw a one-hitter against the Vikes. Madore reached base safely four times, including a double and a single. He also stole three bases and scored twice.
The Presque Isle girls made it as the No. 8 team in Class B North and hosted Foxcroft Academy Tuesday afternoon. The Wildcats took an 11-5 record into the game and had won 11 of their final 12 contests. The only loss was on May 25 at home against the Ponies in game two of a doubleheader, 12-9, which followed a 15-0 win in the opener.
PI has seven freshmen on its roster, including starting pitcher Sydney Thompson and catcher Savannah Rodriguez. The winner of the PI-Foxcroft game plays No. 1 and undefeated Hermon in the quarterfinals Thursday.
The Fort Fairfield baseball and softball teams and the Washburn baseball team all earned playoff berths as well. The Tiger baseball team is No. 3 and the Beavers are No. 4 in Class D North. Those rankings were solidifed following Fort Fairfield’s 15-4 win at Washburn in the mutual finale played last Wednesday. Sophomore Jared Harvey got the win on the mound and clubbed a pair of home runs to lead the winning attack.
The Tigers now await the winner of the prelim game between No. 6 Bangor Christian and No. 11 Woodland. The quarterfinal will be played in Fort Fairfield Thursday.
Washburn hosted No. 13 Schenck in a prelim matchup played Tuesday on the Beavers’ home field.
The Fort Fairfield girls go into the playoffs as the No. 13 seed with their 5-8 record. They play at fourth-seeded Katahdin in a prelim this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Washburn beat FF last Wednesday, 11-1, for its first victory of the season, but the Beavers will sit out of the playoffs.
The Ashland baseball and softball teams also host prelim games this afternoon. The Hornet boys, at No. 7 with a 7-7 record, host No. 10 Katahdin at 3:30 p.m. Coach Terry Hunter’s softball team is 10-4 and ranked sixth. The Hornet girls host No. 11 East Grand in a game beginning at 3 p.m.
