MADAWASKA – It was part tribute, part therapy, but ultimately Wednesday’s Eastern Maine Class C baseball preliminary-round game between Madawaska and Woodland was what it was – a ballgame.

And it was a ballgame Woodland won, rallying from a pair of five-run deficits to earn a 10-8 victory over a Madawaska team still dealing with the loss of junior outfielder Kenny Sirois, who died last Friday of a heart ailment while jogging with his twin brother, Mark.

The team, the town, and the entire Eastern Maine sports community have shared in that loss during the ensuing days, and Kenny Sirois’ presence was felt on this hilltop field even before the game began.

His No. 24 jersey was hanging in front of the Madawaska dugout. The Owls wore black wristbands bearing the No. 24. There was a moment of silence observed during a brief pregame ceremony.

And Mark Sirois, who had lost not only his twin, but his best friend and keen athletic competitor, was back in left field and batting cleanup – just where his brother would want him to be. Sirois went 2-for-4, with two singles and a run scored.

“I think this did more for Mark than a lot of things could have,” said Madawaska coach Vince Vanier. “It’s the value of athletics. You can’t put a price on it, this is just a part of him transitioning back into life. I just wish the season had been a little longer for him.”

The victory left No. 10 Woodland (7-9) with a considerable geographic challenge – drive home to Baileyville late Wednesday night, then drive to Dexter on Thursday to face the No. 2 Tigers in a regional quarterfinal.

“We tried to say that even though we’re going to be really excited, we wanted to stay somewhat reserved today,” said Woodland coach Rob Porter, whose team brought a donation to the game for the Sirois family. “It was one of those Catch-22s, where we wanted to win the game, but it probably meant even more for to them to win, so it’s a little bittersweet in that sense.

Woodland took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a walk to Craig Moody, a stolen base and two wild pitches.

Madawaska took control in the third, with a three-run home run by Matt Beaulieu and a two-run triple by Billy Roy highlighting a six-run rally that gave the Owls a 6-1 lead.

Donald Phelps singled home two runs in the fourth to cut the gap to 6-3, but Madawaska scored single unearned runs in the fourth and fifth to regain a five-run cushion.

“It’s hard for kids this age to not get down and drop their shoulders, and they really fought through that,” said Porter. “And in this situation where there’s a lot of emotion involved, it made it even tougher.”

But Woodland, which struggled in the field early in the game, countered with a dose of defense – turning three infield line drives into inning-ending double plays in the game’s final three innings – and a six-run uprising in the top of the sixth to take 9-8 lead.

Madawaska had three errors during that rally, with Phelps adding an RBI double.

The Dragons added an insurance run in the seventh as winning pitcher Adam Hunt walked, stole both second and third, and scored on a wild pitch.

Hunt also earned the win with three innings of relief in support of Phelps, the starter who had to leave the mound after being hit in the right bicep with a line drive off the bat of Madawaska’s Andre Roy in the fifth inning.

“This was one of those games where we’ve only got the two starting pitchers and we had to use them both, so the next one’s going to be tough,” said Porter.

No. 7 Madawaska ends its season with a 10-6 record.

“I’m so proud of my boys today,” Vanier said. “They showed so much character with everything they’ve dealt with during the past week. I think they dealt with it better than the coach did.

“They showed me a true taste of who they are as people, and that’s the most important thing.”

DRAGONS 10, OWLS 8

Woodland (7-9) Madawaska (10-6)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Phelps, p/ss 5 1 2 3 Beaulieu, cf 3 2 3

Allen, 2b 0 0 0 0 Chasse, 3b 4 0 0

Moody, 3b/ss 4 2 1 0 Butler, 1b 4 1 0

Newell, cf 3 1 0 0 Sirois, lf 4 1 0

Leighton, c 4 0 1 0 B. Roy, p/ss 4 2 2

McLellan, 1b 4 0 0 0 A. Roy, ss/p 3 0 1

Townsend, 2b/3b 3 0 1 0 Dahlgren, dh 3 1

Ellis, lf 3 2 1 0 D. Roy, c 0 0 0

Hunt, ss/p 2 3 2 0 P. Roy, 2b 3 1 0

Metcalf, rf 1 0 0 0 McDermott, rf 1 0 0

Record, rf 2 1 0 0 Lizotte, pr 0 1 0

Michaud, rf 1 0 0 0

Totals 31 10 8 3 Totals 30 8 10 7

Woodland 100 206 1 – 10

Madawaska 006 110 0 – 8

E-Hunt 2, Townsend 2, Record, Phelps; Butler, P. Roy, Michaud, Chasse; LOB-Woodland 7, Madawaska 5; 2B-Phelps, Leighton; Dahlgren; 3B-Moody; B. Roy; HR-Beaulieu; DP-Woodland 3; SF-A. Roy; SB-Hunt 4, Phelps 2, Moody, Newell, Ellis; B. Roy 2, A. Roy 2, P. Roy, Beaulieu

Woodland IP H R ER BB SO

Phelps 4 6 8 4 1 4

Hunt (W) 3 4 0 0 0 2

Madawaska IP H R ER BB SO

B. Roy 3 2 1 1 4 6

A. Roy 2 4 7 3 2 3

B. Roy (L) 2 2 2 2 1 4

Phelps pitched to two batters in the fifth; A. Roy pitched to five batters in the sixth

HBP-Beaulieu by Phelps; WP-Phelps; B. Roy 4; PB-Leighton; T-2:50; ATT-100