Monmouth cruises to an 11-1 victory.
By Bob McPhee
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA – Ben Muniz found an easy way to circle the 60 feet around a baseball diamond. Muniz, a Maranacook Community High School product, made the trip twice after smashing a pair of two-run home runs in the American Legion tournament at Morton Field Monday morning.

Monmouth rose to the occasion by pounding out 11 hits and Seth Emery scored three runs in a convincing 11-1 win against Calais. Pitchers Rick Leavitt and Brian Gardiner combined on a six-hitter as Monmouth (20-5-1) survived to play again this afternoon.

The game was called after Calais batted in the eighth inning because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Both teams lost the previous day, so each entered into a win-or-go-home dilemma in the double-elimination event. Calais (14-15) was the first team eliminated from the tournament.

“We had some thing to prove,” Muniz said. “The only way this team can lose is if we don’t come out and play good baseball. We hadn’t done that against (Nova Seafood on Sunday).”

Monmouth took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Muniz first-round tripper. Emery singled with one out and Muniz deposited a 1-2 fastball from Calais starter Ben Maloney just inside the right-field fair line.

Calais cut the margin in half when Darren Constant hit a RBI-single in the fourth inning, but this served as a wake-up call to Monmouth batters who scored seven runs in the next three innings.

“We had to play well,” Monmouth manager Chad Drouin said. “It was do or die and we are set to go deeper in the tourney now. The kids will need to play good baseball, but I think they recognize it. We had won a big game against Gardiner during the season and another one against Waterville in (zones) playoffs to get here.”

Monmouth got things going in the bottom of the fourth on a Pat Duchette single and a Mark Wade bases-on balls. With two outs, Muniz smashed a 380-foot dinger to over the fence in right-center field.

“I got some good pitches to hit,” Muniz said. “My second homer came off a curve ball.”

Muniz, who is nursing a sore left leg, added a fifth RBI on a ground-out in the sixth.

Muniz was later hit on the foot by Calais reliever Derek Maloney. Ian McCarthy promptly replaced Muniz.

Leavitt threw the first six innings and struck out seven. He stranded five Calais runners and was helped by a 6-4-3 double play in the second.

“Rick didn’t have it early on,” Drouin said. “He usually gets stronger as the game goes on and Ben Muniz had been hitting the ball well. Our defense has been inconsistent, but today we made the plays.”

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