By Paula Roberts
Devin Scherer stretches to make the catch on a pickoff throw, despite a collision with a Greely base runner. (Paula Roberts photo) |
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Lincoln Academy baseball lost to Greely 3-0 in the Western Maine Class B championship game on June 18 at St. Joseph College in Standish. It was the third time in the past two decades that the Eagles have settled for the West B runner-up plaque.
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Lincoln Academy captains Sawyer Pinkham and A.J. Oliver hold the West Class B baseball runner-up plaque. |
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Senior A.J. Oliver started and took the loss in two innings of work (2 unearned runs, 2B,2H,0K). Sawyer Pinkham closed out the final five innings (1R,7K,1B,3H).
Greely scored two unearned runs in the second inning. Will Bryant walked, Miles Shields singled to set up an RBI sacrifice fly to Patrick O’Shea and an RBI error to Calvin Soule. The Rangers added an unearned run in the sixth when Bryant walked, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Shields single.
The top seed Eagles finished their KVAC season with a 12-4 record, including six shutout wins. They outscored opponents 99-51 in the regular season. They outscored their playoff opponents 15-4, with a 4-3 win over Wells in the quarter finals, and 11-1 six inning mercy ruling win over Oak Hill in the semis, but were unable to get the job done against a trio of Greely pitchers in the championship game.
Lincoln had plenty of opportunities to score, abandoning eight base runners. The Eagles left runners on in the first six innings. With runners on first and second in the fifth inning, Pinkham attempted a delayed steal of third, but was called out to end the inning. Greely ended the game on a double play in the seventh.
Hitting for Lincoln were Pinkham, Oliver, Wally Morris, and Brett Cowan with a single each. Hitting for Greely were Tom Buchholtz with two bunt singles, Shields two singles, and O’Shea one.
Bailey Train started for the Rangers (4I,3B,1HP,3K,3H,0R) in the win. Michael McDevitt (1I, 1K,0B,0H, 0R) and William Bryant (2I, 1H, 1B,2K, 0R) saw mound time in relief.
