SKOWHEGAN — The Messalonskee baseball team is no stranger to a hot start to the season.
However, the Eagles are certainly happy with the first two games of the 2022 season. Messalonskee beat Skowhegan 9-6 on Friday at Pomerleau Field to improve to 2-0. And the Eagles have already racked up 21 runs in both games. Messalonskee beat Brewer 12-7 in its season opener Tuesday.
“It feels good,” said Messalonskee first baseman Jacob Thomas, who was 2 for 4 at the plate, with three RBIs.
“It’s exciting, it’s exactly what we wanted to do,” Messalonskee head coach Eric Palin said. “But we did the same thing last year and kind of stumbled down the stretch. This year, we’re focusing on finishing strong, but also starting strong. We’ve got a couple games next week — one against Gardiner, one against Lawrence — we’re hoping to start 4-0 like we did last season.”
Messalonskee is also hot on the basepaths. The Eagles gave the River Hawks fits on Friday, stealing six bases in the first three innings.
“We like being aggressive on the basepaths,” Thomas said. “Take chances.”
Messalonskee’s Joe Thomas (16) is safe at first base as Skowhegan’s Jackson Quinn can’t hold onto the ball during a baseball game Friday at Pomerleau Field in Skowhegan. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
The Eagles racked up their first five runs in the first two innings, highlighted by a two-run bloop single to left field by Thomas.
“The offense is clicking a little bit better than I thought it would be,” Palin said. “Counting our scrimmages, this is our third time out on a field (this spring). We haven’t been able to practice on our own field. So I’m ecstatic with how our team is playing, offensively and defensively.”
Thomas would get his third RBI in the fifth inning to give Messalonskee a 9-4 lead. Mitchell Grant was 1 for 2 at the plate for the Eagles, with two RBIs.
Skowhegan (0-2) stayed with Messalonskee early, trailing the Eagles 5-4 entering the third inning. But Jacob Love came in relief for starting pitcher Brandon Roderick and allowed just one hit over four innings of work, striking out three.
“That was huge,” Palin said. “I don’t think many people know this, but (Love) has thrown a total of two bullpens over the last three weeks. He’s had a nagging injury, which is one of the reasons why we had him on a pitch count today. Normally, I would have let him finish that one. He looked great, he’s feeling great afterwards, which is more important. We’re hoping to keep healthy the whole year, that’s why we dialed him back on that pitch count. But that was huge.”
The River Hawks made a rally attempt in the seventh inning, pushing two more runs across on RBI singles by Jackson Quinn and Cooper Bardwell but Payson Washburn hit into a 1-2-3 double-play to finish the game.
Chance Tibbetts was 2 for 4 at the plate for Skowhegan, with a double and an RBI while Hunter McEwen was 1 for 3 with two RBIs.
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