OAKLAND — Tyler Noonan flirted with a no-hitter on Tuesday afternoon, but the Messalonskee High School senior also flirted with disaster. While Noonan settled for a two-hitter, he walked six Skowhegan hitters and plunked another. Noonan escaped every jam he created, however, and his complete game helped the Eagles take a 6-1 win in the regular season finale for both teams.

“For (Noonan), it’s the passion and the grit. You can see when he plays. He comes off (the mound) after an inning, he’s cheering. He’s upbeat. He’s been playing with passion ever since I’ve known him,” Messalonskee coach Ray Bernier said. “He just kept battling and battling and every time he had to get a big out, he got a ground ball for a double play or got the out he needed.”

Both teams end the regular season at 8-8, and will move on to the Class A North playoffs.

“We had lots of chances, but it came down to not being able to get that big hit when we needed it, and not doing the fundamentals to move them over or move them along. We didn’t have very good productive outs,” Skowhegan coach Mike LeBlanc said.

Skowhegan scored its only run in the top of the first inning. After Noonan walked Colby Miller and Matthew Berry to start the game, Marcus Christopher hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Miller. Noonan escaped further trouble when he got a double play grounder from Kiel Lachapelle to shortstop Dylan Cunningham. After issuing a walk to Ryan Savage to start the second inning, Noonan got another double play grounder to Cunningham to end the threat. Noonan gave credit to Messalonskee catcher Carter Lambert for calling the game.

“When he called something, I got it down to the best of my ability. It feels pretty good to get out with the win,” Noonan said.

Noonan wriggled out of his toughest jam in the top of the fourth, when the Indians loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter with one out. Noonan fielded Aidan Louder’s slow comebacker to the mound, throwing to Lambert to get the force out at the plate for the second out, before a grounder to Lewis at third base ended the inning.

“I just remembered everything I’ve been taught in my (baseball) life, with Coach Bernier and my teammates. Just get your ground balls and trust your defense, and that’s all you can do. You don’t have to be the big old strikeout pitcher all the time. Just trust your defense. It felt pretty good to get an out myself, too,” Noonan said.

Skowhegan had just two hits, a Miller bunt single with two out in the fifth, and a Christopher single to lead off the sixth.

Messalonskee scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead for good. Tyler Lewis led off with a single, then scored on a Percy Carey single and Skowhegan fielding error. Noonan’s RBI single scored Carey, and Cunningham, who walked, scored on Andrew Mayo’s sacrifice fly to left field.

A trio of Skowhegan pitchers, Colby Esty, Miller, and Caleb Bridges, combined to walk 10 Messalonskee batters and hit another. Three of those walks came with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth forcing in three runs and pushing the Eagles lead to 6-1.

“I think (it was) just one of those days. I think we were trying to pitch around a couple of their hitters because we know they’re a pretty good team, and it just didn’t work out for us. You can’t give up 11 free base runners and expect to win a game,” LeBlanc said.

Added Bernier: “I thought their pitchers were right around the zone, so they must’ve been close calls. Credit to our guys at the plate for being selective with what they wanted to hit and just getting on base.”

Lewis and Carey each scored two runs for Messalonskee. Skowhegan will likely be the No. 7 seed in the playoffs and face either Oxford Hills or Edward Little in the quarterfinals. Messalonskee will be No. 8 and travel to No. 1 Bangor, the four-time defending state champion.

“We thought no matter what happened today, it was locked in,” Bernier said of facing the Rams. “It’s been Bangor or Messalonskee, the only two teams to come out of the North the last (six) years. No reason why it can’t be us.”

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM

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