AUBURN — Northern Essex Community College shut out Central Maine Community College 10-0 in the first game of a baseball doubleheader Saturday. Then, the Knights did it again in the second game, 9-0.

Northern Essex starter Jayden Voelker no-hit Central Maine, striking out eight and walking five in eight innings.

The most trouble Voelker got into was in the bottom of the first inning when he walked three of the first four Mustangs batters to load the bases. CMCC’s Corey Armstrong grounded into a fielder’s choice, with NECC (12-2) forcing the out at home to get the second out of the inning. Voelker then got out of the inning by striking out Caleb Valliere. 

“I liked our pitcher, other than the fact that he threw a no-hitter, he got into some trouble but got himself out of it,” Northern Essex coach Jeff Mejia said. “An 18-year-old kid, throws really hard and is getting a lot of pro attention. To see, at a young age, that he can work out of jams, I really like that.”

The Knights’ offense got its scoring going early, taking a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first on a two-run single by Jared Coppola.

Northern Essex added three more runs in the second inning. Kameron Levesque brought in Lucas Berube on a sacrifice fly, Chris Bear’s two-out double scored Richie Williams, then Bear scored on a single by Nicholas White to make the Knights’ lead 5-0.

Voelker didn’t allow a base runner in the second and third innings. The only CMCC batter to reach in the fourth was Caden Truman, who was hit by a pitch.

CMCC starting pitcher Rhen Trinadade only allowed three base runners over the third and fourth innings before being relieved by Wyatt Lufkin to start the fifth inning. 

The Knights’ half of the sixth, White hit a long fly ball to deep left-center field that rolled around long enough for him to round the bases and beat the throw home for an inside-the-park grand slam that made the lead 9-0. Levesque, Williams and Bear also scored on the play.

“It felt great and it was one of those ones where you make contact and you don’t feel it,” white said. “I was three steps out of the box and I saw where it was and said, ‘I gotta go home.’ I finally rounded first, saw they hadn’t gotten to it yet and I made my decision.”

Those four runs all but put the game out of reach for the Mustangs.

“We had a few innings where Rhen and Wyatt were making quality pitches and worked through some tough jams,” CMCC coach Ryan Palmer said. “That grand slam hurt. We had a costly error a couple batters before that. We make that play, it might stay 5-0 instead of 9-0.”

Coppola followed White’s grand slam with a single, then stole three bases to finish the scoring for the Knights. 

“We knew Northern Essex was tough,” Palmer said. “They are nationally ranked in the National Junior College Athletic Association. We were just looking to compete against a quality team. Despite being no-hit in game one, I thought we had some quality at-bats. We just need to clean things up defensively.”

Earlier in the morning, at around 3 a.m., Palmer took an ambulance to the hospital for an emergency procedure on his esophagus. He was released from the hospital at 11:30 a.m. and made it to the field for the first pitch of the opening game at noon.

Palmer left the facility at the beginning of the second game. 

Saturday’s games were the second and third of the spring for CMCC. They won their first game of the spring Wednesday, and are now 21-8 in the 2021-22 season, which include the fall.

KNIGHTS KEPT SCORING

Northern Essex’s offense didn’t let up in the second game.

Williams stole home, and White doubled home Bear to set up the Knights with an early 2-0 advantage.

White finished with five hits and five runs batted in over the two games.

“Nick White is the man,” Meija, who earlier this month won his 200th game, said. “If there was a fence up, it would’ve been over it and any fence we play at all year. He was an All-American left fielder last year, and this year I am playing him at first out of need, but he’s a stud there. I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw him on the (University of) Maine Black Bears next year.”

White later scored on a sacrifice fly. CMCC turned a double play to end the Knights’ half of the first.

In the second inning, Northern Essex’s Nick Panzini scored after a couple of wild pitches to give the Knights a 4-0 lead. Bear singled home Levesque and Williams and Coppola singled to center to score Bear, stretching the lead to 7-0.

The Mustangs earned their first, and only, hit of the day in the bottom of the second inning when Truman singled into center. He was later caught stealing. 

The Knights walked Armstrong but then turned a double play to end the second. The double play started a stretch of 10 outs in a row. 

Coppola drove in Bear again, this time on a sacrifice fly, in the top of the fourth.

The Knights scoring was capped by Williams’ RBI double that scored Levesque in the seventh.

Alex Sweeney started the second game for Northern Essex and allowed only one hit over seven innings while striking out six batters.

“Sweeney on the mound has done what he’s needed to every start,” Meija said. “He’s going to look up at the end of the year and end up being an All-American.”

Will Bean started for CMCC but only made four outs and gave up five earned runs before being relieved by Hunter Warren, who gave up two earned runs and struck out four over four innings.

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