Homich prevails in Eagles’ victory

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ELLSWORTH – The Mount Desert Island baseball team was poised to make an early statement against Ellsworth on Tuesday – loading the bases with no one out in the top of the first inning.

But Matt Homich would have none of it, striking out the next three batters to emerge from the inning unscathed and going on to allow just one run in a complete-game effort as Ellsworth opened its season with a 5-1 victory.

“It’s not the way you want to start the season, loading the bases right off the bat,” said Homich, a senior righthander. “But we bore down and [I] hit my spots and got the next three guys out.”

While Homich stifled the early threat by MDI – which returns just three core players from its 2005 Eastern Maine Class B championship team – a veteran Ellsworth team capitalized on a similar opportunity in the bottom of the first.

Ricky Trombley and Homich opened the inning with back-to-back singles off MDI freshman Sam Stewart after both got behind in the count, with the runners then advancing to second and third on the first of six Trojan errors.

Louden Jellison’s sacrifice fly gave Ellsworth a 1-0 lead, and Homich scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 and cap off a major momentum swing.

Ellsworth added three runs in the third on three MDI errors, a double by Trombley and a sacrifice fly by Cory Smith.

Homich, meanwhile, threw strikes. His only walk came in the top of the seventh, and he scattered 10 hits overall to go with five strikeouts and one hit batter while relying largely on his curveball.

“He has two different ones,” said Jellison, the Eagles’ senior catcher. “One’s for a strikeout and one’s for a swing, and he threw both well.”

Homich was backed by a defense that made just one error and was anchored by Jellison, who handled as many as 20 curveballs that hit the dirt before they reached his glove but never let any get past him.

“It’s great having him back there,” said Homich. “You don’t have to worry about calling the game. I only shook him off once the whole game, and you can throw a curveball or a changeup in the dirt and he’s going to block them.”

MDI scored its only run in the fifth on back-to-back two-out doubles by Kyle Shea and Nick Swanson.

Shea had a 4-for-4 day for the 0-2 Trojans, with two doubles and two singles, while Swanson doubled and singled.

Stewart battled effectively on the mound for the Trojans, limiting Ellsworth to five hits, just three after the first inning. He also issued just one walk.

“He pitched great,” said first-year MDI head coach Mike Swanson. “We just didn’t play well behind him.”

EAGLES 5, TROJANS 1

Mount Desert Island (0-2) Ellsworth (1-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Willis, ss 4 0 1 0 Trombley, 3b 3 2 0

Shea, 2b 4 1 4 0 Homich, p 3 2 1

N. Swanson, cf 4 0 2 1 Jellison, c 2 1

Clark, 1b 4 0 1 0 C. Smith, cf 2 0 1

Dunn, rf 2 0 0 0 M. Smith, rf 3 0 0

Chisolm, dh 4 0 0 0 Harding, lf 2 0 0

J. Swanson, c 0 0 0 0 Folmer, ph 1 0

Hamlin, lf 2 0 0 0 Allen, pr 0 0 0

Merrill, ph 1 0 1 0 Hunnewell, 2b 3 0 0

Volarik, 3b 2 0 0 0 Berry, 1b 1 0 0

Wilson, 3b 1 0 0 0 Lupo, ss 2 0 0

Stewart, p 3 0 1 0

Totals 31 1 10 1 Totals 22 5 5 3

Mount Desert Island 000 010 0-1

Ellsworth 203 000 x-5

E-Willis 2, Volarik 2, Dunn, J. Swanson; Lupo; LOB-MDI 11, Ellsworth 2; 2B-Shea 2, N. Swanson; Trombley, Lupo; SF-Jellison, C. Smith

MDI IP H R ER BB SO

Stewart (L, 0-1) 6 5 5 2 1 3

Ellsworth IP H R ER BB SO

Homich (W, 1-0) 7 10 1 1 1 5

HBP-Dunn by Homich; WP-Stewart 3; T-1:35; ATT-50 (est.)