Cony High School baseball coach Don Plourde feels pretty good about his team as it heads into the Eastern Maine Class A playoffs. After losing their first four games, the Rams bounced back to win 10 of their last 12 and finish at 10-6.

“I’m proud of where we came from,” Plourde said. “Proud, but certainly not satisfied.”

After losing to top-seeded Bangor 2-0 in the regular-season finale Wednesday, Plourde thinks any of the nine teams in the playoffs could win it. Ryan Edwards held Bangor to two hits but Cony managed just five and couldn’t get a key hit when needed.

“They’re steady,” Plourde said of Bangor. “They don’t beat themselves, it’s that simple. But they don’t hit the ball like Bangor teams of old.”

Cony finished third in the Heal point standings and will need to win a couple of games before playing Bangor. The Rams face a tough opponent in the opening round in No. 6 Erskine, a team they defeated twice this season, 6-2 and 5-4 in eight innings. They’ll likely face Erskine senior Shyler Scates, who Plourde says is one of the two best pitchers he’s seen this season along with Lewiston’s Corbin Hyde.

Plourde may start junior Zack Lachance, who beat Erskine twice this season. Both Lachance and Edwards won four games for the Rams this spring.

“You’ve got a 1 and a 1A,” Plourde said. “The biggest thing with both of them is they really started spotting their fastball. It’s really starting to show now.”

The Rams are looking for a third baseman. Freshman Mitchell Caron, who has started the last 10 games, discovered a broken bone in his foot from a basketball injury and will miss the remainder of the season.

“We’re just going to wait and see,” Plourde said. “That’s what the next week will be about.”

Cony is scheduled to scrimmage Maranacook today.

• • •

Gardiner snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win against a solid Lincoln Academy team Wednesday. The Tigers finished 8-8 and in 10th place in the Eastern Maine Class B standings. That would put them in a prelim game next week at No. 7 Hermon, a team they didn’t face this season.

The key for the Tigers, according to coach Chris McLaughlin, is playing sound defense.

“We made no errors,” McLaughlin said. “I keep telling them if we make no errors, we’ll win. You’ve got to make the plays.”

Wednesday’s win may have come at a price since starting pitcher Josh Ouellette rolled his ankle running bases in the fourth inning and had to leave the game.

“He rolled it pretty good,” McLaughlin said. “He said he felt it pop.”

Ouellette, senior Aaron Toman and freshman Josh McElvey have handled the majority of the pitching. McLaughlin has been reluctant to use junior Dennis Meehan in anything but a closer’s role because he’s too valuable at shortstop.

“Having him out there to play defense, he solidifies it,” McLaughlin said.

• • •

Erskine coach Lars Jonassen started all nine of his seniors and played them at least four innings in Wednesday’s regular-season finale against Brewer.

“You’ve got to look at the big picture,” Jonassen said. “We were already in the playoffs.”

The Eagles usually start six or seven seniors, one of whom Wednesday was pitcher Shyler Scates, who pitched a 4-0 four-hitter. Scates struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk. In 69 innings pitched this season, the senior right-hander has issued just three walks.

“The only games he’s lost we didn’t field the ball,” Jonassen said.

Scates spots his fastball, has a decent curve and an excellent changeup.

“It’s a pretty neat pitch,” Jonassen said. “He induces a lot of ground balls.”

Scates, who will play for the University of Southern Maine next year, also leads the Eagles in hitting at .522.

Erskine finished at 10-6 this season and will face No. 3 Cony in the Class A quarterfinals next week. The Eagles scrimmage Winslow today.

• • •

The times, dates and locations for the postseason all-star games are set.

The top seniors from Maine will face the top seniors from New Hampshire at 10 a.m. June 18 at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

The underclassmen all-star game will be at 1 p.m. June 20 at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. The Maine senior all-star game will be at 6 p.m. June 22 at the University of Maine in Orono. Prior to the game, the John Winkin Award, given annually to the top senior in the state, will be presented.

Rosters for these games, as well as the finalists for the Winkin Award, will be announced in the coming weeks.

• • •

Messalonskee’s 7-6, nine-inning win over Oxford Hills on Wednesday was essentially a playoff preview. The two teams will meet again next week in an Eastern Class A quarterfinal game. This regular-season finale was for home-field advantage in next week’s rematch and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

“That was one of the goals I gave the kids before the game. If we won, we wouldn’t have to go all the way to Oxford Hills for the playoffs,” Messalonksee coach Ray Bernier said. “We used it as incentive.”

Bernier expects another close game when his Eagles (11-5) meet the Vikings (10-6) again.

“I think we’re pretty well matched teams,” Bernier said.

Third baseman Travis St. Pierre scored the game-winning run against Oxford Hills, and has been a bright spot in the middle of the lineup all season. Hitting cleanup behind Sam Dexter, St. Pierre has a .375 batting average with 16 runs batted in.

“He’s had a great year on both ends, defense and hitting,” Bernier said of St. Pierre. “It gave me some freedom. Now I’m not so hesitant to bunt somebody ahead of Sam over, in fear they intentionally walk him. It hasn’t really happened because then they have to pitch to Travis.”

Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this report

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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