Dirigo senior pitcher Cory Wing throws a two-hitter.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

DIXFIELD – There’s an old belief in baseball that says a combination of good pitching and defense are essential to a team’s productivity. Dirigo High School certainly put that idea to the test in a Mountain Valley Conference Monday afternoon.

Senior Cory Wing threw a complete game two-hitter and pitched out of three jams, including based-loaded nail-biter, to help lead the Cougars to an impressive 3-0 win against Livermore Falls.

Wing also scored the eventual winning run in the top of the first inning on a Gary Holman RBI single as Dirigo surprised its coaching staff by coming out aggressively at the plate. Catcher Brandon Berry also smashed a solo home run over the orange-mess, left-field fence in the initial inning against losing pitcher Brad Bryant.

Livermore Falls (1-1) was thought to have the upper hand after beating arch-rival Jay 10-9 Saturday. But it was Dirigo (1-0), playing in its season opener, that was able to put things together.

“Pitching and defense won this game for us,” Dirigo coach Al MacGregor said. “Cory threw strikes and he walked (four) batters, and that’s all I ask of my starters to keep the base on balls to a minimum because it usually gives us a chance to be in the ball game. Our defense came up with some big plays when we needed them because Livermore Falls was hitting the ball hard, but right at some one.”

Wing, who threw approximately 90 pitches, gave an indication of how things would unwind in the second and third innings. The Andies’ Chris Drake and Nate Hamilton each singled with out, but Wing promptly struck out Garrett Young and Matt Brochu to end the inning.

“I felt really comfortable on the mound,” Wing said. “I tried not to get rattled and I was able to throw strikes. Our defense was key because they came up with some solid plays and in the third, I just knew that I needed to settle down.”

Wing got the first two outs in the third, but then dug himself in to a hole by walking two batters. Drake reached safely on an infield error to load the bases. The Cougar battery of Wing and Berry ran a 3-2 count on the Andies ‘Cole Flagg before inducing him to pop out to first baseman Craig Langevin.

Dirigo left fielder Ed Gracey made two shoestring catches. He turned the latter in to a double play to end the fifth inning.

Bryant, a sophomore, settled down after the first inning and was only touched for an unearned run in the fourth. Langevin had singled and eventually scored on a Shane Donovan RBI ground out. Bryant allowed seven hits, had eight strikeouts and didn’t issue any walks.

“It was a good game,” Livermore Falls coach Brian Dube said. “I thought both pitchers did a good job. The Dirigo outfield was the difference because they made some catches that I didn’t think they would make.”