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| Staff photo/Gloria Austin Limestone-MSSM pitcher Chris Bernier tossed a complete-game three-hitter in Saturday’s 11-0 victory over Southern Aroostook in Dyer Brook. |
Eagles’ Bernier tosses gem against Southern Aroostook
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
The Caribou baseball team fell just short of recording a sweep in Saturday’s home doubleheader against the Old Town Coyotes. The Vikes took the opener, 10-6, and led game two by a 2-1 margin before the visitors tied the game with a run in the top of the sixth and tallied four runs in the eighth en route to the 6-3 victory.
The softball team had the difficult task of facing the defending Class B state champion Coyotes and couldn’t quite match up, losing by scores of 7-4 and 9-3.
On the baseball diamond, Caribou sent 11 batters to the plate in the pivotal third inning of the first game and six of them scored as the Vikings came out on top.
Dean Walker led off with a single and came around to score on a double off the bat of Matt Curry. With two outs, six consecutive Caribou batters reached base. Carter Chabot singled home Curry, Sean Sadler drew a walk and Mike Selander reached on an infield error. Cody Herbert then singled, Dylan Berkoski reached on an error and Walker walked before Matt Milliard grounded out to finally end the rally.
The Vikes scored three more runs in the fourth without the benefit of a hit. Two walks and two more Old Town errors were the contributing factors.
Curry pitched all seven innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits. He was also Caribou’s lone repeat hitter with two hits. Sadler scored three runs and Berkoski had a pair of stolen bases.
In the second game, Caribou scored twice in the third to take the lead. Curry and Milliard had RBI singles in the frame. However, OT tied the game and then plated four runs on five hits in the top of the eighth.
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| Contributed photo/jMavor Photography Caribou third baseman Cody Herbert shows the umpire the ball after applying a tag on Old Town baserunner Patrick Quimby during a game played at Caribou High School Saturday afternoon. Viking shortstop Matt Milliard awaits the call. Quimby was ruled safe, but the Vikings still won the contest, 10-6. Caribou fell in the nightcap, 6-3, in a game that needed extra innings before being decided. |
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| Contributed photo/jMavor Photography Jordyn Doucette, a senior pitcher for the Caribou Vikings, delivers a pitch during Saturday’s home doubleheader against the Old Town Coyotes. Kristin Plante, the team’s catcher, gets ready to catch the ball. Caribou lost both games of the twinbill, 7-4 in the first game and 9-3 in the second. The Vikings traveled to Houlton for a game against the Shiretowners Tuesday afternoon. |
The Vikes threatened in the eighth, but Kaleb Gifford made a spectacular catch on a deep fly ball off the bat of Matt Manter with the bases loaded and two outs to end the game.
Sadler pitched all eight innings and suffered the loss. He led Caribou with three hits, including a pair of doubles, while Selander, Milliard and Manter notched two hits each.
The Caribou softball team couldn’t hold down Old Town’s Susie Outman, who went 8 for 8 in the doubleheader and led her team to a pair of wins.
The Coyotes jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opener and held on. Kendra Hayward dominated on the mound by striking out 14 Viking batters. Amber Bonewicz had three hits and drove in a pair of runs for Caribou, while Kelsie Espling and losing pitcher Jordyn Doucette added two hits each.
Caribou took a 3-0 lead after the first inning of game two, but OT came storming back to tie it in the second and then scored five times in the fourth to take control.
Bonewicz, who did the pitching in game two for Caribou, had an RBI single and Doucette hit safely twice against winning pitcher Rachel Martin.
On Thursday, the Caribou teams played their regular-season openers at home against Fort Kent. Mason Huck had two hits and two RBI in the Viking baseball team’s 6-1 triumph. The Caribou softball team was a 15-3 winner as Anesha Hersey had two hits and scored four runs and Kelsie Espling contributed a two-run triple.
The Limestone-MSSM baseball team capped a 2-1 opening week with Saturday’s impressive 11-0 win over Southern Aroostook. Chris Bernier was stellar on the mound with the five-inning shutout. He gave up three hits and struck out eight batters while walking no one.
The Eagles scored four runs in the top of the first to grab the early momentum. Tristan Kirk led off with a single and after a steal, Nate Tucker recorded a run-scoring single to bring home Kirk. Two SA errors, a walk and a hit batsmen led to the other three Limestone-MSSM runs.
The visitors played flawless defense and got a pair of excellent plays by outfielders. Bret Butler, the left fielder, robbed a home run in the fourth inning after center fielder Brandon Thompson made a spectacular diving catch two inning earlier and then threw a Warrior baserunner out at second base for the double play.
Kirk, Tucker and Butler finished with two hits apiece and Thompson added a three-run double to lead the winning offense.
The Eagle girls also won on Saturday, 18-8, to improve to 3-0 on the year. Relief pitcher Ellyzabeth Bencivenga struck out 11 batters while allowing only one earned run. She came on for starter Kassee Albert during the first inning and limited SA to single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Melissa Cantafio and Daniele Pelkey led the Limestone-MSSM offense with a double and a single apiece. Kelsee Albert added a two-run double.
