The two rivals finish out the season on their home turfs.
By Randy Whitehouse
Staff Writer

AUBURN-LEWISTON – The rain followed the Edward Little and Lewiston across the Androscoggin River for their Memorial Day home-and-home, AM/PM doubleheader. It did not, however, dampen the spirit between the two rivals.

If anything, the soggy setting was an appropriately gloomy ending for both teams’ final season in the Southern Maine Activities Association. But both clubs could at least pack up for the season with some measure of satisfaction that they earned a split in their final two meetings before moving to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference next year.

Edward Little enjoyed solid pitching from Rory Flynn and some excellent defense to end its home schedule with a 7-2 victory amidst the morning sprinkles at Pettengill Park. Lewiston gained revenge in the steady afternoon rain with some good defense of its own and pitching by Brent Dube in a 6-2 win that was called after five innings.

“In the boys’ sports this year, EL’s won a lot of those games, so it was nice to get the last one of the season and to win the last high school baseball game you’ll play,” said Dube, a senior.

The Red Eddies (5-11) scored four runs in the first inning and Flynn (seven innings, seven hits, one walk) made it stand up by getting 14 ground outs while striking out five.

“Rory looked really good mixing his fastball, curve ball and change up very well, and the defense played super,” EL coach Scott Annear said.

The left side of the Eddies’ infield was particularly impressive. Third baseman Jamie Martel made a terrific diving stop to his left and threw out Tyson Morgan by half a step in the second inning. Shortstop Luke Robinson chipped in with a couple of fine plays deep in the hole.

“He normally plays over at second, but he did a great job today, and Martel at third base, too,” said Flynn, who was still feeling the effects of a cold that he’s been battling since spiking a 103 temperature last week. “My arm feels strong. The rest of me is a little tired but, hey, sleep and cough medicine.”

Flynn helped his own cause with two hits and two RBIs, while Craig Cormier and Randy Morin added back-to-back RBI doubles that put the game away in the seventh. Brian Blais went 2-for-3 for Lewiston with a pair of doubles.

The rain picked up, but the start of the second game was virtually the same when the two teams moved to Lewiston’s home field. Keyed by a two-run single by Phil Chaput (three RBIs), the Blue Devils (2-16) scored four runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back.

Dube took control from there, surrendering just four hits in five innings while enjoying some strong play by his outfield, which negotiated the slick grass very well on several sharply-hit flies. EL got two runs in the third inning, one on a well-executed squeeze play by Martel, but couldn’t get anything going after that.

“The coaches did a good job of keeping the ball dry,” Dube said. “It was getting a little heavy towards the end, but throw strikes, that’s what you’ve got to do on a day like this.”

“We gave them four runs in that first game, and after that we settled down and played some defense and made a couple of nice plays in the field,” Lewiston coach Don King said.

Athletic directors Jeff Benson of EL and Paul Amnott of Lewiston kept busy on their respective home fields applying drying agents to the dirt areas of the field between innings. A towel-toting King, meanwhile, worked constantly to keep the game balls dry.

“There’s not much skin left on my hands,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve rubbed up that many baseballs in the last five years.”