BANGOR– Lane Grass got hit by a pitch three times. The third time gave Central Aroostook a 9-8 victory over Hodgdon in the Maine Principals’ Association class D Northern Maine regional baseball final at Mansfield Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Panthers jumped out to a big lead sparked by a four run second inning. They took advantage of three hit batters, a walk, and a wild pitch during that inning. Josh Thomas also had a run scoring hit. Thomas went 3-4. Brayden Bradbury hit a two run single to give Central Aroostook a 7-1 lead after the fourth inning.
Things started to change for the Hawks in the fifth inning when they put three runs on the scoreboard. Josh Foster had a two run double and Austin Winslow hit a single that scored Foster.
Elijah Matheson started the sixth inning with a double and came around to score for the Hawks as they cut the deficit to 7-5.
While the offense was rolling, Andrew Tuttle kept the Hawks within striking distance. Tuttle allowed two runs in the fourth but held the Panthers scoreless in the next three innings.
Hodgdon sent the game to extra innings with two runs in the seventh inning. Winslow had a run scoring single and came around to score the tying run on a grounder from Matheson.
The Hawks took their first lead when they took advantage of an error in the top of the eighth inning. The top seeded Panthers responded with five straight base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning, sparked by singles from Stetson Nicholas and Zaylan Johnston. The championship game was capped by Malachi Fitzherbert scoring when Grass got hit.
Ben Thomas struck out 10 in seven innings for the Panthers. Brandon Wood pitched the eighth inning to pick up the victory. Central Aroostook (13-4) won their first regional title since 2010 and will take on Searsport in the state title game at St. Joseph’s College on Saturday at 1 PM.
