Red Devils erupt, rout Pirates

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CORINTH – It’s a virtually new Central of Corinth baseball team this spring, with just three seniors and a couple of returning starters on the roster.

But so far, so good for the Red Devils, now 2-0 after defeating Piscataquis of Guilford 11-4 in a Class C matchup Friday afternoon.

“We actually started about six guys for whom this was their second varsity game,” said Central coach Alan Strout. “What I liked was that we had some timely hitting, the kids played pretty good defense, and when they did make a mistake, they didn’t compound it with another mistake.”

The Red Devils got strong production from the top of their lineup, with leadoff hitter Danny Kane and No. 2 batter Scott Kelley combining to go 5-for-9 with five runs scored and three RBIs.

“We want to get on and then be aggressive on the basepaths to get the [Nos.] 3 and 4 guys ready to put some RBIs across,” said Kane, a junior shortstop who went 3-for-5 with a triple, two singles, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. “We want to make the defense make plays and get as much as we can out of our baserunning.”

Kelley added singles in each of the first two innings as Central built an 8-2 lead, while Charlie Haney had a double and a single and Brenden Wilson singled twice.

That was more than enough offense for senior righthander Tom Collins, who earned the pitching win by allowing six hits and one earned run over six innings before reliever Ben Merrill worked the seventh.

“When we got the big lead, I was definitely more relaxed,” said Collins, who relied mostly on his fastball. “And when we got the first out in an inning, I was more relaxed and was able to go from there.”

Jarrod Robinson and Ritchie Tompkins led 0-1 Piscataquis with a double and a single apiece, but Collins held the Pirates in check during the middle innings while Central capitalized on a struggling PCHS defense to build its advantage.

Central took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Kane singled and stole second and third before scoring on Kelley’s single to right. Kelley took second on an error, went to third on a Levi Nickerson groundout and scored on a passed ball.

Piscataquis tied the game in the top of the second. Shane Tracy hit a leadoff single to right-center and Robinson reached on an error before Tobey Cleaves hit an RBI single to the shortstop hole and Robinson scored on a wild pitch.

Central took control with six runs on three hits and three Piscataquis errors while sending 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the second. Tyler Speed struck the big blow, a two-out, two-run single to center, while Kelley added an RBI single and Nickerson drove home a run with a groundout.

Central added an unearned run in the fourth, and Kane tripled home Wilson in the fifth and then scored on a passed ball to make it 11-2.

Tompkins doubled home pinch-runner Brandon London in the Piscataquis sixth, and Robinson doubled home Pirates’ starting pitcher Roy Burdin an inning later for the game’s final run.

“In every practice the kids are getting better,” said Strout of his team. “Danny and Levi are basically the starters back and they’re good influences on the kids – the guys are all like sponges. Everything the coaches are telling them, they’re immediately trying to put in play, and we’re just excited right now.

“You couldn’t ask for a better start than 2-0.”

RED DEVILS 11, PIRATES 4

Piscataquis (0-1) Central (2-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Tompkins, cf 3 0 2 1 Kane, ss 5 3 1

Davis, rf 4 0 1 0 Kelley, 2b 4 2 2

Burdin, p-ss 4 1 0 0 Collins, p-3b 4 0 0

Je. Robinson, lf 4 0 0 0 Nickerson, 1b 4 1

Tracy, ss-p 3 1 1 0 T. Speed, cf 3 0 2

Ja. Robinson, 2b 4 1 2 1 Eriksson, dh 4 0

T. Cleaves, c 3 0 1 1 Merrill, 3b-p 0 0

Douglas, 1b 4 0 0 0 Haney, lf 4 1 0

London, pr 0 1 0 0 Wilson, c 4 1 0

Zimmerman, 3b 2 0 0 0 Bell, pr 0 0

J. Cleaves, ph 0 0 0 0 J. Speed, rf 1 0

Totals 31 4 7 3 Totals 33 11 11 6

Piscataquis 020 001 1 – 4

Central 260 120 x – 11

E-Tracy 2, Ja. Robinson, Zimmerman; Kelley, Nickerson, Merrill, Collins; LOB-Piscataquis 10, Central 8; 2B-Tompkins, Ja. Robinson; Collins, Haney; 3B-Kane; S-J. Speed; SB-Tompkins, Tracy, Ja. Robinson, T. Cleaves; Kane 2, T. Speed

Piscataquis IP H R ER BB SO

Burdin (L, 0-1) 4 1/3 9 11 2 1 3

Tracy 1 2/3 2 0 0 2 0

Central IP H R ER BB SO

Collins (W, 1-0) 6 6 3 1 2 7

Merrill 1 1 1 0 1 2

HBP-T. Cleaves (by Collins); WP-Burdin; Collins; PB-T. Cleaves 4, Wilson 2; T-2:11; ATT-75