STACYVILLE – The Katahdin of Stacyville baseball team had used overpowering offense to win its first five games of the season – outscoring the opposition by a combined 62-9.

But the Cougars showed they could win a close game Saturday, using two first-inning runs and the pitching of junior Andy Kay to scratch out a 2-1 victory over Deer Isle-Stonington in the first game of a Class D doubleheader.

The second game wasn’t nearly as close, as Josh Guiggey pitched a five-hitter and Katahdin pounded out 14 hits in an 11-1 six-inning victory over the defending state champions.

“It’s been a long time since we swept a doubleheader from these guys,” said Guiggey. “This is good for us.”

The first game was a pitcher’s duel between two of the better righthanders in Eastern Maine in Kay and Deer Isle-Stonington senior Collin Ciomei – and both lived up to the billing.

Kay did not allow a run in six innings, scattering three singles while striking out 11 and walking seven before leaving the mound due to a blister on his pitching hand.

Ciomei allowed just two hits in a complete-game effort while striking out three, walking three and hitting three batters.

But all three of Ciomei’s walks came in the first inning and those, combined with two wild pitches, and a sacrifice fly by Evan McCarthy, gave Katahdin an early 2-0 lead.

Ciomei did not allow a run the rest of the way, but neither did Kay as he escaped bases-loaded, two-out jams in both the first and fifth innings.

“I just wanted to give up as few hits as possible,” said Kay. “I gave up a few too many walks, I guess, but that’s better than giving up hits and getting their morale up.”

McCarthy, Katahdin’s starting catcher, came on in relief of Kay in the seventh, and two errors and two walks enabled Deer Isle-Stonington to score a run and have the potential tying run at second base with two outs before McCarthy got a game-ending strikeout.

“That gave us momentum,” said Guiggey of the first-game win. “We knew Andy was going to throw well, and he threw his heart out for us, and then Evan came in that last inning and made some crucial pitches.”

In the second game, Guiggey allowed just one DI-S baserunner as far as second base after the first inning.

“We started a lot of hitters off with curveballs, and we knew we had to keep them off-balance,” said McCarthy. “Josh doesn’t have the most heat, but he has great location. He works the outside corner, and he mixes his pitches well.”

Katahdin (7-0) complemented Guiggey’s control with solid defense, and the Cougars also broke loose offensively as 11 different batters had at least one hit.

McCarthy led the way with two singles and a sacrifice fly good for four RBIs, while Kay doubled twice, Guiggey singled twice and Matt McAvoy doubled home a run and then scored in the sixth inning to provide the 10-run margin that ended the game early.

Katahdin, the visiting team in this game, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on McCarthy’s sacrifice fly to right, but Ciomei led off the bottom of the inning with a double and scored on Ethan Pinkham’s pop single to center as Deer Isle-Stonington (3-6) forged a 1-1 tie.

McCarthy gave Katahdin the lead for good by singling up the middle with the bases loaded and one out in the second to drive home Tom Anderson and Brady Curtis.

The Cougars broke the game open in the third, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring six runs on six hits. McCarthy, Ethan Qualey and Andrew Hawkins each singled home a run, while Kay contributed a double to the rally that extended Katahdin’s lead to 9-1.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

COUGARS 2, MARINERS 1

(First Game)

Deer Isle-Stonington Katahdin

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ciomei 3 0 1 0 Guiggey, rf-lf-c 2 0

Lymburner, 2b 2 0 0 0 Kay, p-lf 1 0

Pinkham, cf 4 0 1 0 McCarthy, c-p 2 0 1

Carter, 3b 3 0 0 0 E. Qualey, cf 3 0 0

Powers, c 1 1 0 0 J. McGraw, ss 1 0 0

Moran, 1b 3 0 0 0 Hawkins, lf 1 0 0

Gagne, pr 0 0 0 0 Ko. Gallagher, rf 1 0

Boutilier, rf 4 0 0 0 M. McGraw, 3b 2 0

Lawson, lf 2 0 1 0 Anderson, 1b 2 0 0

Bruce, ph 0 0 0 0 Curtis, ph 1 0 0

Weed, lf 0 0 0 0 Ka. Gallagher, 2b 1 0

Rollins, ss 3 0 0 0 Duffy, ph 1 0 0

Totals 25 1 3 0 Totals 18 2 2 1

Deer Isle-Stonington 000 000 1 – 1

Katahdin 200 000 x – 2

E-Ciomei; J. McGraw, McCarthy; LOB-Deer Isle-Stonington 12, Katahdin 6; DP-Deer Isle-Stonington 1; S-McGraw; SF-McCarthy; SB-McGraw

DI-Stonington IP H R ER BB SO

Ciomei (L, 1-2) 6 2 2 2 3 9

Katahdin IP H R ER BB SO

Kay (W, 4-0) 6 3 0 0 7 11

McCarthy (S, 1) 1 0 1 0 2 2

HBP-Kay, Ko. Gallagher, M. Graw (by Ciomei); WP-Ciomei 3; T-1:50

COUGARS 11, MARINERS 1

(Second Game, 6 inn.)

Deer Isle-Stonington (3-6) Katahdin (7-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ciomei, ss 1 1 1 0 Guiggey, p 3 2 0

Weed, rf-lf 2 0 0 0 Kay, lf-ss 4 1 0

Lymburner, 2b 3 0 0 0 Cloukey, lf 1 0

Pinkham, cf 1 0 1 1 McCarthy, c 3 1 4

Gagne, rf 1 0 1 0 Robinson, c 1 0 0

Moran, 1b 3 0 1 0 E. Qualey, cf 4 1 1

Powers, c 3 0 0 0 Savage, ss 0 0 0

Carter, 3b-ss-p 2 0 1 0 J. McGraw, ss 2 0

Boutilier, rf 0 0 0 0 R. Qualey, rf 1 0

Lawson, lf-cf 2 0 0 0 Hawkins, lf 2 1

Bruce, lf-3b 2 0 0 0 Ko. Gallagher, lf-cf 0

Rollins, p-ss 2 0 0 0 M. McGraw, 3b 2 0

Cunningham, ph 1 0 0 0

Duffy, 3b 1 1 1 0

Anderson, 1b 2 1 1 0

McAvoy, 1b 1 1 1 1

Curtis, dh 2 1 1 0

Ka. Gllgr, 2b-cf-ss 1 0 0

Totals 22 1 5 1 Totals 32 11 14 8

Deer Isle-Stonington 100 000 – 1

Katahdin 120 602 – 11

E-Bruce, Rollins; McAvoy 2; LOB-Deer Isle-Stonington 4, Katahdin 9; 2B-Ciomei; Kay 2, McAvoy; DP-Katahdin 1; SF-McCarthy; SB-Pinkham; McCarthy, E. Qualey

DI-Stonington IP H R ER BB SO

Rollins (L, 0-2) 3 2/3 11 9 9 2 5

Carter 2 1/3 3 2 2 3 0

Katahdin IP H R ER BB SO

Guiggey (W, 1-0) 6 5 1 1 1 6

HBP-J. McGraw (by Rollins); WP-Carter 5; BK-; T-1:40; ATT-70 (est.)