It took two games before the American Legion captured the Houlton Area Little League Minors Division crown over the Houlton Elks.
The Elks forced a second, winner-take-all game by defeating the American Legion, 10-9, in the first game of the championships. In the second game, the American Legion edged the Elks by a run, 16-15, in a two-hour time limited game.
Because the season was played under “Minor League” rules, teams are only allowed to score five runs an inning.
In the first game, the Houlton Elks took a 1-0 lead when Mark Thibodeau scored on a passed ball. In the second, Mason Clark, Ryan Mitchell and Kameron Gray all scored for the Elks, and with one out, Tyler Castle and Pat Marino came in to end the inning with five runs and giving the Elks a 6-0 lead.
In the third, the American Legion plated three runs when Jordan Sennett, Thadon Gentle and Kaydon Carpenter scored. The Elks answered back with four more runs, as Tyler Hipsley, M. Clark, Mitchell and Gray all came home to hold the lead 10-3.
The American Legion came back strong in the fourth, with five runs, as Carpenter, David Tuttle, Jack Hodgkins, Jacob Tuttle and Elijah Neureuther all scored.
The Elks did not score again, but the American Legion threatened in the fifth, but came away with Gentle being the only runner to score.
In the second game, there were plenty of runs scoring for each team.
In the bottom of the first inning, Jordan Miller, Hipsley, Gabe Radatz, C.J. Clark and M. Clark gave the Elks a 5-4 lead, as Sennett, Gentle, Brandon Barton and K. Carpenter came in for the American Legion to open the game.
The bottom half of the Elks’ lineup — Mitchell, Gray, Castle, Marino and Miller — all scored to push the Elks’ lead to 10-6 after two innings, as Tristan Kimball and Sennett were the only two scoring for the American Legion.
The American Legion brought in five runs — Barton, K. Carpenter, D. Tuttle, Hodgkins and J. Tuttle all crossed the plate — to take the lead 11-10 in the third. D. Tuttle had a big hit and K. Carpenter layed down a clutch bunt to break the game open. The Elks went down in order in their half of the inning.
In the fourth, Neureuther, Gentle, Zachary Carpenter, Barton and K. Carpenter all raced home for the American Legion, which led, 16-10.
Even though there was no way the Elks were going to win, they showed grit and determination and with two outs, they came back to score Dawson Cole, Castle, Marino, Thibodeau and Miller, coming up just shy with the five-run inning rule.
Playing for the American Legion are: Thadon Gentle, Jordan Sennett, Kaydon Carpenter, Brandon Barton, Zachary Carpenter, David Tuttle, Jack Hodgkins, Jacob Tuttle, Tristan Kimball, Keegan Brown and Elijah Neureuther. The team is coached by Travis Gentle. Playing for the Houlton Elks are: Mark Thibodeau, Jordan Miller, Troy Hipsley, Gabe Radatz, C.J. Clark, Mason Clark, Ryan Mitchell, Kameron Gray, Dawson Cole, Tyler Castle and Patrick Marino. The team is coached by Charlie Clark.
