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STANDISH — Aroostook County, your wait is over.

Fort Fairfield became the first baseball state champion from The County since Southern Aroostook in 1999, capturing the Class D title with a 4-1 win over Telstar on Saturday at St. Joseph’s College.

It’s the third state title for the Tigers, who won Class A in 1970 and Class D in 1994.

“It’s a great way to go out,” said Fort Fairfield senior Cayden Ala, who had a double, a single and a stolen base. “I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season, and I’m really excited to go celebrate.”

Jonah LeBlanc pitched 6 1/3 innings and struck out six for Fort Fairfield, which also got three hits and two RBI from Graedon King-Rosado and two hits from Levi Cole. Bryson Walker struck out eight and gave up three earned runs for Telstar, and added two hits at the plate.

Both pitchers, Fort Fairfield’s LeBlanc and Telstar’s Walker, were dealing early. Walker struck out the side in both the first and second innings for Telstar (16-4), while LeBlanc fanned three and allowed just a single hit.

In the third inning, though, Fort Fairfield broke through. An error and a walk put Lucas Cormier and Ala on first and second with no outs. Consecutive hits by Cole, King-Rosado and Charlie Griffeth put the Tigers up 2-0 before an Eric Helstrom groundout made it 3-0.

“(I was just thinking), ‘Focus in, don’t overswing, keep my head in and pound the ball,’” King-Rosado said. “It feels surreal. … We worked really hard for this, and it’s a great feeling to be able to get it done.”

Telstar loaded the bases in the bottom of the third but couldn’t come away with a run. Fort Fairfield scored another run in the fourth when King-Rosado’s third hit of the day drove in Ala, then the Tigers got out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the fifth.

Fort Fairfield came up with big defensive plays throughout the game. LeBlanc made a nice play on a groundball to start a 1-2-3 double play in the fifth. Then, in the sixth inning, Helstrom threw out Telstar’s Michael Early from right field on what should have been a base hit with a strong throw to first.

“I think our scouting for this game was pretty good,” said Fort Fairfield coach John Ala. “That throw from right field was something that we’ve been working on for a bit and hoped would show up in a game, and today it did. All in all, it was experienced players being ready and making plays.”

The win capped a dominant season for the Tigers, who outscored opponents 190-24. It was also the second state title this school year for many Fort Fairfield players after the boys soccer team defeated Monmouth Academy in the Class D championship game in November.

“We knew (how good we could be), not even this (baseball) season but at the beginning of the year,” King-Rosado said. “Winning the soccer state championship, we knew we had a group of athletes that could compete in any sport, and we brought it to baseball.”

That Tigers had a good crowd supporting them. Fans clad in red who’d made the 245-mile, four-and-a-half hour trip from Fort Fairfield to Standish lined the entire first-base line, and a championship performance from the Tigers ensured they’d have a happy ride back home.

“If it was twice that distance, I still think they would show up for us,” John Ala said. “They care, and they love to support our youth. Fort Fairfield is a terrific community to be a part of, and this is a great day for it.”