AUGUSTA – Auburn Suburban Little League 11/12 All-Stars battled all week to reach the District 5 championship round. ASLL faced Dirigo Little League on Monday night and needed a win to force a deciding game Tuesday.

To get to the championship, ASLL swept through South Lewiston, 18-0; Winslow, 4-3; and Elliot Ave. of Lewiston, 10-0. 

In Monday’s win over South Lewiston, Jack Coyne pitched shutout ball. C. J. Jipson belted a grand slam and Brandon Knapp hit a three-run homer for Auburn. Austin Merritt had two hits for South Lewiston.

ASLL rallied late Wednesday to trip Winslow. With Auburn trailing 3-2 in the fifth, Drew Lashua led off the inning with a single to center. After being sacrificed to second, Lashua scored the tying run on Austin Cox’s third hit of the game. Cox scored what proved to be the winning run when Llewellyn Jensen singled him home.

Noah Yarnevich made several key defensive plays at second base  throughout the game to prevent any runs from scoring. Winslow’s Jacob Trask was the hitting and fielding star, collecting two hits and playing a flawless shortstop. Coyne and Cox shared the mound duties for ASLL.

In Friday’s semifinal game, ASLL got excellent starting pitching from Jensen and two  strong relief innings from Cox. Auburn broke open a close game in the fifth. Jarod Norcross-Plourde led off with a double. Cox and Jensen singled followed by back-to-back doubles by Knapp and Coyne.

Coyne later sealed the win with a long three-run homer. Kyle Romero drove in ASLL’s initial run with the first of his two doubles. Austin Wing pitched a strong game for Elliott and also shined at the plate.

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