MINOT

The Ararat Cal Ripken 9U All-Star team received contributions up and down the lineup in the final game of the 2018 Maine State Championship, claiming the title with a thrilling 8-5 win over Noble at Minot Fields.

Ararat began play in the New England Championship at Chelmsford, Massachusetts, on Saturday.

Ararat started the state tournament with a convincing 14-2 win over Sacopee, followed by an exciting 6-5 walk-off victory over Andy Valley South to stay in the winner’s bracket.

In the first of three showdowns against the strong team from Noble, Ararat started slow but stormed back. The squad trailed 4-0, but scored 14 unanswered runs for a 14-4 mercy-rule victory in five innings.

Noble refused to go away after beating Andy Valley North, 7-6, in extra innings to set up the first rematch with Ararat. Noble surprised Ararat, 7-2, to set up a winner-take-all final matchup.

After a rainout pushed the game back a day, Noble drew first blood, getting on the board in the bottom of the first with some timely hits off Ararat starting pitcher Brady Hiltz.

Ararat came right back in the top of the second when both Will Davis and Colby McFawn singled and later scored to make it 2-1.

Hiltz and reliever Zaden Steele held Noble scoreless in the second, and Ararat tacked on two more runs in the top of the third when David Edwards walked and stole two bases before scoring on a fielder’s choice RBI by McFawn. The speedy Cody Fournier later walked and scored after stealing two bases and taking advantage of a passed ball to make it 4- 1 Ararat.

In the bottom of the third, Noble cut the lead to 4-3, scoring two runs off catcher-turned-reliever Danny Millson. Steele came back into the game with another strong relief appearance to maintain the slim advantage.

Noble retired Ararat in the top of the fourth, then proceeded to load the bases with two outs on Steele in the bottom of the inning. A rocket-shot to right field threatened to put Noble out front, but Ararat outfielder Ely Cornish made perhaps the play of the tournament when he sprinted to his right and made a lunging catch to end the threat.

Fournier was at it again on the basepaths in the top of the fifth inning, drawing a walk and turning into a run after two more stolen bases and a passed ball to extend the lead to 5-3. Ararat’s Daniel Beal ripped an RBI double, scoring Millson to make it 6-3.

Will Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Noble drew within a run again with an inside-the-park home run, cutting the Ararat lead to 6-5.

Pinch hitter Solomon Wood, who started the game, re-entered in a big spot in the top of the sixth with a runner on. His opposite-field single scored Davis and gave Ararat some insurance. Wood later scored on a wild pitch and Ararat headed into the bottom of the last inning looking to preserve the 8-5 lead.

Davis did just that as he closed the decisive contest out with a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts, including the last “K” that claimed the 9U championship for Ararat.

Ararat’s roster also includes Abel Lajoie and Anthony Kavanaugh, who both played key parts of victories over the championship run. Ararat’s manager is Pete Fournier, who is assisted by coaches Jon Hiltz, Bruce Davis and A.J. Kavanaugh.