HOWLAND – Justin Pelkey makes life uncomfortable for most opposing batters – and that gives his teammates plenty of comfort.

Pelkey put on a dominating pitching display Wednesday, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning before settling for a two-hitter as Stearns of Millinocket topped Penobscot Valley 11-1 in a Penobscot Valley Conference baseball contest.

The win was the fourth straight since an 0-2 start for Stearns, while Penobscot Valley suffered its second straight loss after a 5-0 start.

Pelkey, a senior righthander, struck out 10 batters and walked five, and now has allowed just three hits in two complete-game pitching performances this spring.

“He’s a big kid, experienced, and very patient and poised on the mound,” said Stearns coach Brandon Portwine. “He makes people feel uncomfortable in the batter’s box, and then he throws an 80 mile an hour fastball on the inside and makes them feel more uncomfortable. Then he’ll come with a curveball on the outside corner. He mixes it up really well.”

Pelkey used a fastball, curve and slider to keep the Howlers at bay until two outs in the bottom of the fifth, when Ethan Babineau hit a 3-2 slider just beyond the reach of Stearns shortstop Garren Manzo into left field.

“He had a good hit,” said Pelkey of the single that ended his no-hit bid. “It was a nice sharp line drive, and all the props to him.”

Joe Gilley hit the next pitch down the right-field line for an RBI single to end Pelkey’s shutout, but Pelkey struck out the next batter to end the game under the 10-run rule.

“We feel very comfortable when [Gilley’s] on the mound,” said Stearns first baseman Cory Barnett. “We know he can blow it by people, and then throw strikes when he has to get us out of tough innings.”

Stearns complemented Pelkey’s pitching with errorless defense, nine hits and eight stolen bases.

Barnett had two RBI singles for the Minutemen, while Kurt Hamilton and Aaron Cyr also singled twice apiece. Jason Levasseur added three RBIs for Stearns through a single, sacrifice fly and fielder’s choice.

Stearns reached Penobscot Valley starter Dylan Worster for two unearned runs in the second inning and added three runs in the third before breaking the game open with a four-run fourth inning.

Barnett hit a one-out single to center to drive home Jared Manzo, and after Pelkey walked Cyr hit an opposite-field single down the right-field line to drive home two more runs to make it 8-0. Kurt Hamilton then singled to left before pinch-runner Dylan Bouchard scored on Levasseur’s fielder’s choice grounder to third base.

Hamilton added a two-run single to left in the top of the fifth to extend Stearns’ lead to 11-0, setting up the Minutemen’s third win of the season by 10-run rule.

“We came in thinking they would give us a good run for our money,” said Barnett, “but thank God we had Justin throwing good and we hit well.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

MINUTEMEN 11, HOWLERS 1

(xxx Afternoon, xx innings)

Stearns (4-2) Penobscot Val. (5-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ja. Manzo, cf 2 2 0 0 Babineau, cf 2 0

G. Manzo, ss 4 1 1 0 Thmpson, 1b-c 2 0 0

Barnett, 1b 4 2 2 2 Gilley, ss-p 3 0 1

Pelkey, p 2 3 0 0 Saucier, 2b-ss 3 0 0

Cyr, c 3 1 2 2 Jipson, 3b-p 0 0 0

D. Bouchard, pr 0 1 0 0 Jones, c-1b 2 0

M. Bouchard, ph 0 0 0 0 Batchelder, dh 2 0

Hamilton, 3b 3 0 2 2 Thibault, rf 0 0 0

Levasseur, 2b 2 1 1 3 Worster, p 1 0

Santerre, ph 1 0 0 0 Sherman, 2b-3b 1 0 0

Brad Bouchrd, dh 3 0 1 0 Bellevance, lf 0 0

Bran.Bouchrd, rf 0 0 0 0 Callander, ph 1 0

Bri. Bouchrd, rf 0 0 0 0

Jo. Manzo, lf 2 0 0 0

Totals 26 11 9 9 Totals 17 1 2 1

Stearns 023 42 – 11

Penobscot Valley 000 01 – 1

E-Saucier, Thibault, Gilley, Bellevance; LOB-Stearns 8, Penobscot Valley 6; SF-Levasseur; SB-Ja. Manzo 3, Barnett, Pelkey, D. Bouchard, Hamilton, Levasseur

Stearns IP H R ER BB SO

Pelkey (W, 1-1) 5 2 1 1 5 10

Penobscot Valley IP H R ER BB SO

Worster (L, 2-1) 3 4 5 2 2 2

Jipson 1/3 1 3 3 2 0

Gilley 1 2/3 4 3 3 2 1

HBP-Pelkey (by Gilley); BK-Pelkey; PB-Cyr; T-1:50; ATT-100 (est.)