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BANGOR – The Eastern Maine Class D baseball championship game was expected to be a pitcher’s duel between Katahdin of Stacyville junior Andy Kay and Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook sophomore Dakota Sleeper, who are summer league baseball teammates and close friends.
It certainly lived up to expectations as Kay tossed a one-hit shutout to beat Sleeper 3-0 and give Katahdin its first Eastern Maine baseball title since 1993.
Second seed Katahdin, 16-1, will face Western Maine champ Rangeley, 11-4, in Saturday’s 4 p.m. state championship game at Mansfield Stadium. Fourth seed Southern Aroostook finished at 12-6.
Dillon Boulier’s bunt single to lead off the fourth inning was the only hit off Kay, who struck out 15 and walked four while throwing 117 pitches, 67 of which were strikes.
Sleeper tossed a four-hitter with one of the three runs being unearned. He struck out 13 and walked four while throwing 98 pitches, 69 for strikes.
Kay got stronger as the game went along. Eight of his strikeouts coming over the last three innings.
“I had better snap on my curveball [later in the game] and I actually picked up more velocity on my fastball as the game went along. I got more excited,” said Kay. “My curve was definitely my best pitch. They couldn’t touch it.”
“We tried to get by with his fastball and changeup in the first inning but once his curve started working, it was lights out,” said Katahdin catcher Evan McCarthy.
“He’s the best pitcher in the state of Maine,” said Sleeper. “I’ve never seen a curve like that. I swear it drops a foot and a half.”
Although the Cougars were limited to four hits, three of them were pivotal in producing their three runs as they scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings.
“We’ve hit in the clutch all season,” said Katahdin coach Marty McCarthy. “We’ve scored runs when we’ve had to.”
Ethan Qualey opened the second inning by grounding a single to center and he stole second.
He went to third on Josh McGraw’s fielder’s choice and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Mark McGraw.
In the third, Kay helped his own cause by walloping a long leadoff triple to center and he scored on Qualey’s one-out infield chopper.
“Dakota hung a curve and I got out in front of it and spanked it,” said Kay.
“That had ‘meat’ written all over it,” said Sleeper. “I served it up on a silver platter. I dropped my arm angle.”
In the fourth, Brady Curtis walked, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw and to third on a wild pitch before scoring when McCarthy grounded a two-out single to left.
“I’ve faced [Sleeper] a lot and I’ve never been able to catch up to his fastball. But he threw me a curve and I was able to whack it to left field,” said McCarthy who considers Sleeper a quality pitcher.
“He has a lot of heat and a decent curve. He’s a good pitcher,” said McCarthy.
Southern Aroostook had just four baserunners through six innings and only one, Josh Branscombe, got as far as third.
Southern Aroostook threatened in the seventh when Sleeper reached on a third strike wild pitch to open the inning and Rob Toothaker followed by drawing a walk.
Two strikeouts later, pinch-hitter Dylan Stubbs walked to load the bases.
But with Steve Grant hitting, Sleeper came too far down the third-base line and he was caught in a rundown and tagged out by Kay to end the game.
“[Kay] threw extremely well and we couldn’t generate any offense,” said Southern Arostook coach Murray Putnam.
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COUGARS 3, WARRIORS 0
So. Aroostook (12-6) Katahdin (16-1)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
T. Robinson, cf 3 0 0 0 Guiggey, ss 4 0
Boulier, 2b 3 0 1 0 Kay, p 3 1 1 0
C. Robinson, c 3 0 0 0 McCarthy, c 3 1
Sleeper, p 2 0 0 0 Duffy, pr 0 0 0
Toothaker, ss 2 0 0 0 Qualey, cf 3 1
Branscombe, lf 2 0 0 0 J. McGraw, lf 3 0
Sholler, 1b 3 0 0 0 Anderson, 1b 2 0 0
Boutililer, rf 2 0 0 0 M. McGraw, 3b 1 1
Stubbs, ph 0 0 0 0 Hawkins, rf 2 0 0
Grant, 3b 2 0 0 0 McAvoy, ph 1 0 0
Curtis, dh 1 1 0 Ka. Gallagher, 2b 1 0 0 0
Totals 22 0 1 0 Totals 24 3 4 3
S. Aroostook 000 000 0 – 0
Katahdin 011 100 x – 3
E-Toothaker, Sleeper; M. McGraw; LOB-So. Aroostook 5, Katahdin 7; 3B-Kay; DP-Katahdin 1; SB- Branscombe 2; Qualey 2, J. McGraw;
So. Aroostook IP H R ER BB SO
Sleeper (L, 5-2) 6 4 3 2 4 13
Katahdin IP H R ER BB SO
Kay (W, 9-1) 7 1 0 0 4 15
WP- Sleeper; Kay 2; T- 1:45; ATT- 250 (est.)
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