Houlton 11-12 team wins Lions’ tourney

The Houlton 11-12-year-old All-stars won the Caribou Lions Tournament held the weekend of July 25.
    The Houlton team defeated Madawaska for the championship and topped Caribou and Grand Falls in the tournament.
In the opening game, Houlton picked up the win with a lopsided 10-1 victory, as Kyle Bouchard, Gage Hunt and Ryan Dee combined on a five-hitter, striking out 18 batters.
After two innings of scoreless ball, the Houlton boys jumped to a 5-0 lead, sparked by Dee’s two-run  triple, bringing home Noah Holmes and Cameron Clark, who had singled and walked, respectively. Bouchard’s single drove in Dee and Bouchard scored on a Kole Buzzeo base hit. With one out, Buzzeo scored on a fielder’s choice.
Houlton was scoreless in the fourth, but drove in three runs after base hits by Bouchard, Garrett Ring and Garrett Putnam. Houlton added two more runs in the sixth, as Dee and Ring each singled to bring in Bouchard and Buzzeo.
In the next game, Houlton defeated Caribou 2-0, as Hunt threw a one-hitter, striking out 16 batters.
Houlton scored in the last two innings of the ball game, as in the fifth, Clark singled and then scored in on Bouchard’s double and in the sixth, Ring singled and scored on Ben Tuttle’s single.
In the championship game, Houlton edged Madawaska, 3-1 for the crown. Bouchard fired a one-hitter, striking out 12 hitters.
In the second inning, Houlton took a 2-0 lead on consecutive singles by Hunt, Ring and Nick Botting.
Madawaska scored in the fourth after Sam Cyr tripled and scored on a wild pitch, cutting Houlton’s lead to 2-1.
In the fifth, Houlton added a run after Clark doubled and scored on Bouchard’s base hit.