The high school baseball season is at the mid-point for many teams, including rivals Brunswick and Mt. Ararat, two squads riding that fine line between playoff contender and spectator come early June.
“This is a big win considering that we have a big week coming up, with Oxford Hills, Edward Little (Wednesday) and Messalonskee (Friday),” said Mt. Ararat coach Bob Neron after his Eagles improved to 3-4 and bounced back from a 19-8 loss to Cony on Tuesday. “It is our season, with our goal to get to the playoffs. It was good to turn it around, score some runs early and hold on.”
For Brunswick, the halfway point is here, with the Dragons sitting at 2-6. Their next game is also against Oxford Hills, Wednesday at South Paris.
“We have to go get a big win, like at Oxford Hills on Wednesday,” said Brunswick coach Bill Ridge. “We had a win against Cony, which will be worth points. But, we have to get a Skowhegan, Lewiston, then take care of the teams that are with us or below us.”
Two bad innings
The tale of Friday was two bad innings for Brunswick pitcher Brady Larson. His complete-game effort included 141 pitches, but 78 came during the Eagles’ three-run first and four-run third, putting the Dragons into a 7-2 hole.
“He got behind hitters those two innings and they knew what was going to come,” said Ridge of Larson. “When he gets ahead, he is as good as it gets. He is one of those guys that gets better as the game goes on.”
Mt. Ararat jumped on top 3-0 in the first. Ryan Lathrop was hit by a Larson pitch and moved to second on an infield single by Gabe Pelletier. With one out, Reilly Kons singled to load the bases, and a passed ball allowed Lathrop to score the game’s first run. An RBI single by Sam Ashouwak and an error plated two more runs.
Brunswick answered with two in its first crack against Mt. Ararat lefty Reid Drouin. Jason Carter, who was 3-for-4 and scored two runs, singled to lead off, and Larson reached on the first of five Mt. Ararat errors. Carter stole third base, and the throw skipped into left field to get the Dragons on the board. Parker Wild singled to make for a 3-2 contest.
Larson struck out the side in the second, but lost his control in the third. He walked four Eagles, with the key hit a Griffin Stockford two-run double inside the right-field line. Sam Coombs added an RBI with a sacrifice fly, and Lathrop singled in a run for a 7-2 Mt. Ararat lead.
“I had been struggling a little bit, and I dropped down in the lineup from leadoff and it has done some good,” said Stockford, who was 2-for-4 with three key RBIs. “A win here, against our rivals, has a better feeling than some of the other ones. Being 3-4 is lot different than being 2-5.”
“As a lead-off hitter, I am looking for a guy to get on base, and in his first year of varsity I probably should have started Griffin lower,” said Neron. “He had some big two-out hits today and gave us some breathing room when we needed it.”
Down 8-2 after Mt. Ararat tacked on a run (RBI single by Stockford, scoring Trent Charnock), Brunswick made it a game thanks to three Eagle errors. Carter and Larson each picked up an RBI to get the Dragons to 8-5 after four.
Both Larson and Drouin settled down the rest of the way. Drouin allowed just one hit over the final three frames, finishing with 110 pitches, nine strikeouts and seven hits allowed, while Larson held the Eagles hitless over the final two innings, concluding with 10 strikeouts, four walks and nine hits allowed.
“Reid came in and wasn’t happy with the play around him in the fourth innings, but he did what he had to do and got locked in,” said Neron.
Kons was 2-for-4 for Mt. Ararat and scored two runs, while Pelletier, Charnock, Ashouwak, Lathrop and Coombs were each 1-for-3.
Parker Wild, John Parker and Ryan Maciejewski had one hit apiece for Brunswick.
Mt. Ararat 8, Brunswick 5
At Brunswick High School
Mt. Ararat — 304 100 0 — 8-9-5
Brunswick — 200 300 0 — 5-7-1
Reid Drouin and Sam Coombs; Brady Larson and Ryan
Maciejewski.
Doubles — (MA) Griffin Stockford, Trent Charnock; (B)
Ryan Maciejewski.
Repeat hitters — (MA) Reilly Kons, Griffin Stockford; (B)
Jason Carter 3.
Records — Mt. Ararat 3-4, Brunswick 2-6.
Next — Both teams visit Oxford Hills, with the Eagles at
South Paris today at 4 p.m. and the Dragons on the road
Wednesday at 4 p.m.
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