Auburn, ME – CMCC Baseball honored its ten graduating players in style with a pair of victories at home against NHTI. The Mustangs defeated the Lynx 7-2 in game one before taking game two 11-1 in just five innings. Of the four graduating pitchers, Jeff Meisner got the start and picked up the win and game one, while all seven who featured in the lineup had at least one hit or one run scored. Logan Carpenter and Garren Post both celebrated in style by hitting home runs.
Game One, 7-2 W
A "senior day" ceremony preceded the first game of the doubleheader, with each player being called to the field to receive a framed photograph and take pictures with the coaching staff and their friends and family in attendance.
It seemed to fire the team up, as the Mustangs came roaring out of the gate to score five times in the bottom of the first. Post dropped a fly ball into left field that brought Brandon Gour home for the first run of the game. Jake Calver lined a two-RBI double to right that plated Hayden Durrell and Post. Cody Cleaveland hit a sac-fly to center, allowing Brendan Mahaney to tag up and score, and Zac Gorman drove in fellow Australian countryman Calver with a groundout to short.
Meisner found his groove on the mound, throwing a good mix of pitches and allowing only three baserunners through the first three innings. Gour worked his second walk of the game in the second inning and moved himself into scoring position by stealing both second and third. A simple ground ball from Post brought him in to score for a 6-0 Central Maine lead.
NHTI got some momentum going in the fourth and pulled two runs back. Charles Hibbert and Liam Waldron hit back-to-back RBI singles before the defense fizzled things out by hauling in a pair of fly balls.
Lee Robertson added the icing on the cake in the sixth. The Nova Scotia native singled to right field, stole second and third base, before racing home to score on a passed ball with two outs. Meisner then three his second one-two-three inning of the game to seal the win. It was the fifth win and third complete game of the season for the junior from Natick, MA.
Game Two, 11-1 W
The Mustangs' offense was a little more consistent in game two, scoring runs in all five innings of the shortened contest. Logan Carpenter got one of the biggest cheers of the day in the bottom of the first. The pitcher out of Lawrence High School had displayed power at the plate in his two seasons, recording five extra-base hits in just 15 at-bats. He added to that here, rocketing his first career home run over the left-center field fence for a 2-0 lead.
Watch Carpenter's home run here: youtube.com/watch?v=D43HaUnswTE
Cleaveland scored in the second to make it 3-0 Central Maine. The Lynx elected to try and throw out Robertson when the shortstop took off for second with runners on the corners and two outs. The throw was wide and Cleaveland sprinted across the plate for his first run scored of the day. The freshman from Richmond, ME then relieved starting pitcher Brady Vincent in the third inning. Cleaveland pitched the rest of the way, marking his first appearance on the mound this season.
He got the chance to then help his own cause in the third, coming to the plate with the bases loaded. A hard-hit ground ball through the gap into left scored Post. Ryan Stone then beat out an infield grounder to short to bring home Carpenter. That made it 5-0 Mustangs.
The lead was doubled in one fell swoop in the fourth. The Mustangs ran a double steal for Durrell and Post while Shane Jewett showed bunt at the plate. That brought the third baseman creeping in, meaning the throw from the catcher down the line had nobody home to receive it. Durrell made the turn and scored as the ball skipped into left field.
Calve doubled to left two batters later to score Post, and Cameron Dostie brought him home with a fly ball that dropped into right field. Stone's speed again played a factor in the next two runs. He sprinted down the line on a slow bouncing ball to third, forcing an errant throw from Maddux Mackenzie. The pinch-running Steven White scored on his senior day on the error along with Cleaveland to make it 10-0.
The visitors needed at least one run in the top of the fifth to keep the game going and avoid the ten-run rule after five innings. They managed that while down to their last out. Caleb Szafran beat out an infield single and Christopher Dustin brought him around to score with a line drive into center.
The reprieve was short-lived, however. With two outs and nobody on, Post stepped to the plate. The junior out of Westbrook High School took pitcher Travis Graf deep for a walk-off solo home run. It was his second homer of the season and fourth of his career to end senior day on a high note.
The Mustangs still have one visit remaining to York County, SMCC, and Great Bay to round out the regular season. The double-elimination postseason gets underway shortly thereafter, culminating in the conference championship at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach, ME on Saturday, May 3rd.
