Page 4 - Newsletter Winter 2018

Shires Win ‘C’ North Baseball Crown

Earn State Runner-up Title

This story is based on articles by Pete Warner
and Ernie Clark , Bangor Daily News and
Joe Cyr ’89, Houlton Pioneer Times. The
contents are reprinted with permission.

Houlton High School had some decent scoring
chances during the first three innings of June
12th’s Class C North baseball title game against
Mattanawcook Academy, but came up empty.

Yet even after the No. 2 Lynx scored first, the
top-seeded Shiretowners made sure many of
their subsequent opportunities did not go
unrealized.
Houlton erupted for five runs in the fourth
inning, then scored four times in the fifth en
route to a 10-1 victory over Mattanawcook at
Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.

Coach Jim Castner’s Shiretowners (14-3)
earned the berth to play South winner Hall-
Dale of Farmingdale (18-1) at the state title Several Shires hoist their Class C North Championship Plaque
game at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish on
Saturday, June 16th.

“When they scored that one run there in the fourth inning I wasn’t worried, but as a coach you’re kind of like, we’ve got to respond,”
Castner said. “We put five up there and I’m really proud of the guys. They hit the ball hard and ran the bases well.”

It was only the third regional championship for the Houlton baseball program, which finished as the Class A state runner-up in 1976 and
1983.
The Shires had a more recent bit of inspiration.

“We came here sophomore year and we lost, and ever since then we’ve been hungry,” said senior left-hander Pat Howe. “Last year we lost in
semifinals to a very good Orono team, then this year we cameback and we knew we had to take care of business and that’s what we did.”

Once the floodgates had opened, Houlton was able to connect frequently against Lynx pitchers Corbet Arnold and Brayden Pepin. The
Shires racked up 15 hits, spearheaded by three singles each from seniors Nick Perfitt, who had four RBIs, and Isia Bouchard.
Sophomore Keegan Gentle drove in three runs with two hits, including a double, and Colby Callnan chipped in with two singles.

Howe picked up the victory on the mound, limiting Mattanawcook Academy (12-7) to five hits and one run. He struck out 10, including
seven consecutive batters starting with one out in the first inning, and walked five before giving way to sophomore Jason Collett, who
pitched two innings of two-hit, shutout relief.
Perfitt said balance is among the team’s key strengths this season.
“We’re solid 1 through 9,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of guys that stick out over anyone else. Even the guys that come into the game (off
the bench), they’re always solid.”
Sophomore Jackson Weatherbee singled twice among seven hits for the Lynx, who committed four errors. Arnold gave up eight hits and
five runs with two strikeouts, a walk and two hit batsmen over the first four innings.
MA broke the scoring ice in the fourth inning when Brady Pepin scorched a one-out infield single off the pitcher’s glove, but was erased on
Arnold’s fielder’s choice. Scott Dorn drew a walk, setting the stage for Malcolm Slomienski, who pulled an RBI single past the third-base
bag.

Houlton answered with a five-run uprising in the bottom of the inning. Howe got things started with an infield single to the shortstop hole
and moved up on Morgan Phillips’ single to right. Bouchard followed with a pretty bunt single down the third-base line to load the bases.

Gentle’s run-scoring single through the left side and Perfitt’s slicing, two-run single down the line in right, on which a throwing error led to
a third run, gave the Shires a 4-0 advantage.

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