Augusta East, Suburban earn tourney victories

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BANGOR – Miles Hunt of Suburban and Jake Castonguay of Augusta East pitched superbly for their teams during Saturday’s opening round of the Little League State Tournament at the Bangor West Little League Complex.

The major difference was that Hunt’s road to victory was far easier than that of Castonguay.

Hunt pitched five innings of two-hit ball to propel Suburban of Cumberland/North Yarmouth to a 9-0 victory over Camden-Rockport, while Castonguay gutted out an eight-inning four-hitter to lift Augusta East to a 3-2 win over East Biddeford.

The double-elimination event continues Monday with a 3 p.m. game between District 3 champion Bangor West and Suburban. District 2 champ Camden-Rockport and District 4 titlist East Biddeford meet in an elimination game at 5 p.m.

On Saturday, Hunt dominated during his five-inning stint and Suburban cruised. The pudgy righthander baffled Camden-Rockport batters, allowing only three baserunners and striking out seven without issuing a walk.

Hunt, who featured a decent fastball and moved his pitches around well, uttered his trademark grunt with the delivery of every pitch.

“I think that the grunt always seems to intimidate people,” said the smiling Hunt, known to his teammates as “nails,” as in “tough as nails.”

“We’re a wicked good hitting team and we have the best defense in the state,” he added. “I believe we can go a long way because we’re a very good team.”

Suburban committed only one error, when Mike MacDonald reached in the first. But a bullet throw by center fielder Ryan Anderson on Steve Galkowski’s single nailed MacDonald at the plate.

Suburban scored all the runs it would need in the top of the first despite getting only one hit. Two errors and a walk led to a pair of runs.

The winners added two more in the third, this time without benefit of a hit. Four walks and a hit batsman fueled that rally.

Suburban put the game out of reach in the fifth on RBI singles by Charley Weaver and Adam Lemieux, and Anderson’s one-hop ground-rule double over the fence in right field.

MacDonald’s single with one out in the fourth was the only other hit for Camden-Rockport, which was not able to muster much offense.

Brian Chapin struck out the side in the sixth to clinch the victory for Suburban, which managed only five hits off lefthander Galkowski. Seven of the nine runs he allowed were unearned, although he had trouble with his control.

Augusta East won behind Castonguay, a rugged righthander who struck out 18 East Biddeford batters and walked two.

He threw 131 pitches in his eight-inning win, overmatching the District 4 champs frequently with his hard fastball and mixing in an occasional breaking pitch. Castonguay fanned at least two batters in every inning except the fifth, when East Biddeford scored its only two runs.

“Toward the end, it seemed like I got more wind so I could throw a lot faster,” said Castonguay, who made the longest outing of his young career. “That’s the most I’ve ever pitched in one game.”

Castonguay’s ability to get a hit also boosted his confidence and intensity for the final inning. He was instrumental in his team’s game-winning rally, stroking a sharp single to right to lead off the eighth inning after having struck out his first three times up.

“Especially when you’re pitching, it helps to get hits in big situations,” he said, noting that he had been pressing earlier in the game. “By the time I came up in the pressure situation, I just knew if I didn’t try so hard, I’d be able to do better.”

Scott Brawn moved him to second with a hot single off the glove of first baseman Matt Plessis. Lance Brunelle plated the eventual winning run with a hard double to the gap in left-center.

Augusta East had grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third against loser Luke Bernier, who scattered four hits over the first seven innings. Kevin Brunelle beat out a bunt single with one out, stole second, and reached third on a solid single to right by Brandon Royce.

The first run scored on a wild pitch, then a walk and a passed ball led to the second tally.

East Biddeford tied it in the fifth. Ben Clemons reached on a fielder’s choice, then Karl Lagasse punched a single to center. Bernier knocked in the runs with a pop-fly double.

Suburban 9, Cam.-Rock. 0 (First Game)

Suburban (Dist.6) Camden-Rockport (Dist.2)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Weaver, 3b 3 1 2 1 Peters, cf 2 0 0 0

Lemieux, c 4 2 1 1 Haynes, cf 1 0 0 0

Anderson, cf 2 1 1 2 Fitzpatrick,ss 2 0 0 0

Hunt, p-rf 4 0 0 0 Baker, 3b 1 0 0 0

a-T. Googins 0 1 0 0 MacDonald, c 2 0 1 0

Twombley,1b 1 2 0 0 Galkowski,p 2 0 1 0

Chapin, rf-p 1 0 0 0 Seymour, 1b-p 2 0 0 0

Ross, 2b 1 1 1 0 Skoby, rf 2 0 0 0

Carpenter, 2b 1 0 0 0 Turner, lf 1 0 0 0

Devoe, lf 2 0 0 0 Smith, lf 1 0 0 0

Smith, lf 2 0 0 0 Marshall, 2b 2 0 0 0

K. Googins, rf 1 0 0 0 Moro, 3b 1 0 0 0

Twomey, rf-1b 0 1 0 1 Laporte, 3b-ss 1 0 0 0

Duchsneau,ss 2 0 0 0

Totals 24 9 5 5 Totals 20 0 2 0

a-ran for Hunt in the third

Suburban 202 050 – 9

Camden-Rockport 000 000 – 0

E – Duchesneau; Seymour, Skoby, Laporte 2B – Anderson LOB – Suburban 7; Camden-Rockport 2

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Suburban

Hunt (W) 5 2 0 0 0 7

Chapin 1 0 0 0 0 3

Camden-Rockport

Galkowski (L) 5 5 9 2 8 4

Seymour 1 0 0 0 0 2

HBP – Weaver, Twomey (both by Galkowski) WP – Galkowski 2 TIME -1:23

Augusta 3, E. Biddeford 2 (8 inns.)

(Second Game) Augusta East 002 000 01 – 3 7 3 E. Biddeford 000 020 00 – 2 4 1

Castonguay and Sc. Brawn; Bernier and Poisson, Clemons (3)