Opportunistic Old Town prevails

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OLD TOWN – The prevailing parity within the Penobscot Valley Conference Class B baseball ranks early this season means that minimizing mistakes is a pivotal element in virtually every game.

The Old Town Coyotes not only limited their mistakes Thursday, but also made some crucial defensive plays to earn a 7-2 win over Mount Desert Island.

“No one team has stepped up yet to establish itself at the top,” said Old Town coach Dave Utterback. “Every game is a difficult battle.”

MDI (3-1) outhit Old Town 11-6 but stranded 13 baserunners – leaving the bases loaded in three different innings.

Old Town starter Cory Wasson didn’t overpower the Trojans but walked just one batter and hit one batter while striking out four in 5 1/3 innings.

“I thought I did a good job of keeping the ball down,” said Wasson, who got relief help from Dana Leland. “I was able to keep my four-seam fastball right around the plate for the most part.”

Old Town (4-2) also pulled off two defensive gems in support of the senior righthander. A diving stop by shortstop Zac Kochis on a grounder up the middle led to an inning-ending forceout with the bases loaded in the second, and left fielder Tyler Cates dove to rob MDI’s Steve Zirnkilton of extra bases with two runners aboard to end the top of the fifth.

“Their guys walked very few batters,” said MDI coach Matt Haney. “We got a lot of hits, but almost all of them were singles, and if you play defense and don’t walk batters, singles won’t kill you.

“The other thing they did was make two outstanding defensive plays at key points in the game, when if they don’t make the play in either case we’re right in the game.”

MDI took a 1-0 in the second when Calvin Tweedie doubled to deep center for the Trojans’ lone extra-base hit, advanced to third on a groundout by Zirnkilton and scored on a single down the left-field line by Justin Gilmartin.

Willy Clark then singled to right and Billy Ferm walked to load the bases with one out.

Wasson got Devin Young to line out, but Josh Delaittre then grounded sharply up the middle, only to have Kochis stretch out as far as he could to snare the ball and flip it to second baseman Jason Smith for the inning-ending forceout.

“Zac Kochis made a great play up the middle that saved me,” said Wasson. “I thought it was going through.”

Old Town took a 3-1 lead in the third with three unearned runs. Tyler Cates reached second on an outfield error and went to third on a wild pitch before Smith walked. Cates scored the tying run as Evan Paradis grounded out to first, and Leland then walked.

Kevin Demmons was unsuccessful in putting down a sacrifice bunt, but he beat out a two-strike swinging bunt down the third-base line to load the bases. Tweedie struck out the next batter before both Smith and Leland scored on a botched force play after a grounder by Nick Standley.

The Coyotes added four runs in the fourth. Smith and Paradis each had an RBI single and Leland added an RBI on a fielder’s choice that was thrown out of play, enabling the final run of the inning to score.

MDI’s final run came in the seventh. Tweedie singled, advanced on two wild pitches and scored on Zirnkilton’s opposite-field single to left.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

COYOTES 7, TROJANS 2

MDI (3-1) Old Town (4-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Delaittre, cf 4 0 1 0 Cates, lf 2 0

Bartlett, 2b 4 0 0 0 Smith, 2b 2 2 1

Mitchell, dh 4 0 2 0 Paradis, 3b 4 1 2

Gridley, rf-p 0 0 0 0 Leland, c-p 4 1

Tweedie, p-1b 4 2 3 0 Demmons, rf 3 0

Zirnkilton, 3b 4 0 1 1 Coffin, ph 0 0

Gilmartin, ss 3 0 2 1 Getchell, 1b 4 0

Clark, lf 3 0 2 0 Standley, dh 3 0 0

Ferm, 1b 1 0 0 0 Kochis, ss 0 0 0

Hall, rf 1 0 0 0 Wasson, p 3 0 0

Logue, ph 1 0 0 0 Cosenze, c 0 0 0

Young, c 3 0 0 0 Ziegenbein, cf 3 1 0

Totals 32 2 11 2 Totals 28 7 6 4

Mount Desert Island 010 000 1 – 2

Old Town 004 400 x – 7

E-Gridley, Bartlett, Gilmartin; Kochis; LOB-MDI 13, Old Town 8; 2B-Tweedie; DP-Old Town 1; SB-Mitchell; Smith, Paradis, Standley

MDI IP H R ER BB SO

Tweedie (L, 1-1) 4 5 7 3 5 6

Gridley 2 1 0 0 0 0

Old Town IP H R ER BB SO

Wasson (W, 1-1) 5 1/3 9 1 1 1 4

Leland 1 2/3 2 1 1 2 3

HBP-Young (by Wasson); Coffin (by Gridley); WP-Tweedie 3; Leland 2; T-2:00; ATT-100 (est.)