BY GARY HAWKINS

Staff writer

After an 0-4 start this spring, things looked bleak for the Cony High School baseball team, but the Rams have since turned their season around.

Wednesday, they beat a strong Oxford Hills team 6-5 for their eighth win in a row. Cony has gone from the cellar in the Eastern Maine Class A tournament standings to second place. The five runs the Rams allowed Wednesday are the most in any game during the streak in which they’re allowed a total of 17 runs.

“Honestly we’re making plays and working hard,” Cony coach Don Plourde said. “The kids are just supporting one another. I know these sound like clich s but they’re true.”

The Rams are a combination of rookies and veterans. The five seniors on the team — Ryan Edwards, Chase Shostak, Jake Harriman, Simon Yorks and Justin Ellis — are all contributing. Plourde is also getting results from three freshmen. Tayler Carrier starts at catcher and Mitchell Caron at third base while Thomas Foster has made two appearances on the mound.

“He’s pitched for us twice and he’s been fantastic,” Plourde said. “He throws strikes.”

Junior Zack Lachance and Edwards have been the mainstays of the pitching staff. Edwards threw his third complete game in a row Wednesday. Junior Chandler Shostak was expected to pitch this season but has just one appearance in relief. Instead, he’s settled in at shortstop after playing in the outfield last year. He also leads the team in hitting with an average over .500.

“He’s making the routine plays and the tough plays,” Plourde said. “This is really his first year playing there.”

The Rams play at Hampden today before finishing the season against Brunswick, rival Erskine and unbeaten Bangor.

“We’ve kind of got our swagger back a little bit,” Plourde said.

• • •

Can a team have too much pitching? In Erskine’s case, maybe. Senior Dylan Botbyl made his varsity debut this week in the team’s 10th game of the season. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowed two hits and walked two.

“He had a great fastball but the main thing was his breaking ball was working really well,” Erskine coach Lars Jonassen said. “I think there was one ball hit hard.”

Erskine won the game in extra innings and Botbyl may have earned some more time on the mound although the Eagles have several good pitchers, including ace Shyler Scates, Tom Grady, Tyler Belanger, Ryan Pulver and Jory Humphrey.

“He pitched in preseason against York and did a really good job,” Jonassen said. “But with the people we’ve got it’s hard to get him in. We’re going to have to find a way to get him some innings.””

Scates leads the team in hitting at .590 as well as RBIs, while leadoff hitter Sean Cabaniss has an on-base percentage of .510 and leads the team in stolen bases.

“He’s just the classic leadoff hitter,” Jonassen said. “The sleeper I’ve had is my No. 2 hitter, John Suga (.310). He’s come up with some big hits.”

The Eagles (8-3) play Messalonskee today with Grady expected to pitch. They host Cony next Friday in a Coaches vs. Cancer game with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. A dance recital in which the Erskine players performed for the public with a partner recently raised $550 for the Cancer Society and $700 for the Friends of Rachel of FOR Club.

• • •

Hall-Dale junior Wyatt Rush hasn’t played a game this season, but he’s been a pretty good teammate. Rush had attended every game and practice this season until Wednesday. That’s when he underwent shoulder surgery for an injury he incurred during wrestling season.

Hall-Dale coach Tim Johnson originally held out hope that Rush would return sometime this season but abandoned that notion early on.

“What a difference he would have made,” Johnson said “To have that left-handed bat in our lineup. He’s probably our second best hitter and our two guy in the rotation.”

Rush has done what he can, helping catchers with blocking drills, feeding hitters off the batting tee and even sweeping out both dugouts after games.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Johnson said. “I’ve never had a kid do the stuff he does. He’ll do anything and it’s all self-directed.”

• • •

Gardiner coach Chris McLaughlin is looking for a few infielders. In Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to Camden Hills, he was missing third baseman Josh Mashke, shortstop Dennis Meehan and second baseman Travis Kelley, all out with illness. McLaughlin said Meehan and Mashke could potentially be lost for the season. Partially as a result of those losses, the Tigers committed seven errrors.

Josh Ouellete, who played short Wednesday, is scheduled to pitch against Waterville today. The other backup shortstop is Mashke.

“I don’t have another shortstop,” McLaughlin said. “That will have to be trial by error. There’s no one at the JV level who’s ready to play.”

The Tigers, who are 7-5, have pegged their season around throwing strikes and playing sound defense.

“That’s been our game all year,” McLaughlin said. “You can’t lose your whole infield.”

The loss of Meehan hurts especially bad. The junior was not only one of the league’s top shortstops but also Gardiner’s closer and leading hitter.

Gardiner has several point-worthy games left beginning with today’s game at home against Waterville. Down the stretch the Tigers face Maranacook, Leavitt and Lincoln.

“We’ll have to start playing better ball,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll see what kind of team we’re made of.”

• • •

Winthrop has ridden the pitching and catching of seniors Tyler Reeve and Tyler Foster to a surprising 6-3 record heading into today’s game at home against Dirigo.

“It’s a nice battery,” Winthrop coach Marc Fortin said.

Foster is a solid catcher while Reeve is one of hardest throwers in the Mountain Valley Conference.

“He worked hard in the offseason,” Fortin said. “He went to a camp and changed his delivery a little bit. I think he’s picked up a little speed and he’s worked a little on his curve ball.”

The Ramblers have also hit well. Reeve and Foster are the power hitters in the middle of the order, but everyone has contributed. Leadoff hitter Jared Hanson is batting a team-leading .480 while fellow sophomore Drew Stratton is hitting .417 out of the No. 2 spot.

Freshman Dakota Carter is bating .471 in a part-time role while Ben Allen and Mario Meucci, also freshmen, are both over .350.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

Copy the Story Link