BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK

Staff Writer

The Messalonskee High School baseball team rallied after a sluggish start to the season. The Cony softball team dominated from start to finish. Both are celebrating state championships after breaking long title droughts.

For Cony (20-0), the 2-0 win over South Portland was the first softball state championship since 1983. The Messalonskee baseball team had not won the state championship since winning Class B in 1973. Saturday’s 6-3 victory over Scarborough was the first Class A title for the Eagles (15-5).

“We were pretty confident all the way through,” Cony coach Rocky Gaslin said. “We knew all the way we had a pretty good team.”

While Cony went 14-4 last season, Messalonskee was coming off a 5-11 effort in 2011. The Eagles didn’t even have a home field this season. Construction at Messalonskee forced the Eagles to play most of their home games at Thomas College in Waterville with the exception being a regional semifinal game against Hampden played at Erskine Academy in South China.

After a loss to Brewer on May 12 dropped the Eagles to 5-5, the team held a constructive meeting, coach Ray Bernier said.

“It was a very good meeting. Both sides vented. The players vented and the coaches vented and we allowed them to talk and we allowed them to talk to us and let us know how they feel and what we could do. When we left that meeting, everybody felt good,” Bernier said.

That loss in Brewer was Messalonskee’s last lost of the season. Over its season-ending 10 game win streak, Messalonskee outscored opponents 73-23. In those final 10 games, the Eagles had an earned run average of 1.36.

“We knew we were better than what our record was, and thankfully the players showed it,” Bernier said.

Once the Eagles started stringing wins together, they never lost their momentum, said senior shortstop Sam Dexter, a finalist for the Dr. John Winkin Award, presented to the best baseball player in the state.

“Momentum was key in this game and it was key in all the playoff games. The whole 10-game winning streak, really,” Dexter said.

Throughout the playoffs, Messalonskee did a good job making opponents pay for any mistake, never more so than in the championship game. Scarborough’s seven errors led to six unearned runs for Messalonskee.

“We always said you can be good, but you need to be lucky, too, and we had some lucky breaks go our way coming through here, and I’m just glad for the team to be able to take advantage and get here,” Bernier said.

With superb pitching, Cony made its own luck. Junior Sonja Morse was one out from throwing a no-hitter in the state championship game and freshman Arika Brochu also came up big pitching for the Rams this season.

Gaslin had a hunch this season could be special when he had eight players routinely show up for weight training workouts, beginning in January.

“The kids were working out, getting ready,” Gaslin said. “You could see the enthusiasm for the season.”

Both Cony and Messalonskee should contend for titles next season, too. The Rams return six players, Gaslin said, including both Morse and Brochu.

Messalonskee lost just three players, Dexter, Travis St. Pierre and Gage Landry, to graduation. The Eagles started three freshmen and return their entire pitching staff.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

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