Houlton All-stars summer run finally ends

The Houlton All-stars’ bid for a state championship came to an end last Tuesday in Ellsworth.
    The final score of the Houlton 9-10-year-old All-star game against York in the state tournament wasn’t indicative of how closely the game was played.
The Houlton All-stars were knocked from the double elimination tourney with two losses to York. Last Tuesday, the team was shut out 10-0 by their state rival. York eventually finished as state runners-up losing to Falmouth last Thursday, 10-6.
Last Tuesday, York scored seven of their runs over the first three innings, with two outs in each inning. They drove in two runs in the first; two in the second and three in the third.
“We stranded 11 runners on base,” said coach Shawn Graham of his team’s first three innings.
The Houlton team had six hits, two singles each from Nick Cowperthwaite and Matt Tuttle, along with base hits from Cameron Graham and Patrick Howe.
“The difference in the game,” said Graham, “was York came up with big two-out hits that really hurt early in the game. We also had a few miscues in the field during that stretch that cost us, while York played errorless ball throughout the game.”
York, according to Graham, is a solid ball club and when Houlton gave up six unearned runs, it was tough for them to make a comeback.
“Overall, I was extremely pleased with the kids’ effort, the commitment from both the players and parents, as well as sportsmanship displayed all summer by everyone. We had the chance to play a lot of baseball this year within the Little League program. Any time you can play ball from late April to early August, it’s sure to help the programs in the future.”
The Houlton All-stars will be honored this Thursday night at McGill’s Concert in Monument Park. They will  be recognized and recieve their trophies at intermission.