Top sports stories of 2023: No. 6 — Trio of area baseball teams play their way to state championship games

Editor’s note: The Sun Journal sports staff voted on the area’s top sports stories of 2023 and will be counting down the top 10 through the end of the year.

It was a successful season on the baseball diamond in 2023 for Sun Journal area teams. St. Dominic Academy won its second straight Class D state championship, while Monmouth Academy came away with the Class C title.

A tip of the cap goes to Edward Little, which went through the gauntlet of Class A North to reach the state championship game before losing to South Portland.

St. Dominic Academy celebrates winning the Class D baseball state championship against Bangor Christian at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor on June 20. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

REPEAT CONTENDERS

The Saints brought back most of their 2022 state championship team in 2023, and they entered the Class D South tournament as the No. 3 seed. Their run almost didn’t get out of the starting blocks in the regional semifinal against the No. 2 Richmond, but “The Quiet Assassin” and “The Big Kahuna” — two nicknames for shortstop/pitcher Timothee Ouellette — delivered the go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the ninth for a 5-3 win over the Bobcats to send the Saints to the regional final.

“There’s a lot of anticipation to see what’s going to happen,” teammate Ashton Hammond said of Ouellette’s at-bat. “I know on that home run, the bench erupted.”

Ouellette picked up the win on the mound in the 4-1 win over top-seeded Searsport in the regional final by going to the distance and throwing a two-hitter, striking out five batters and walking four. The Saints’ offense erupted with four runs in the top of the first and Miles Frenette — St. Dom’s lone senior — had two doubles in the game.

“I love how we came out of the gate,” St. Dom’s coach Bob Blackman said after the win against Searsport. “We basically prepared all week for that type of attack to get on top of them early … and they did. The first eight batters put the ball in play. Some of those balls were hit pretty hard.”

In the state championship game, the Saints got to Bangor Christian’s Jason Libby — the Winkin Award winner — in the top of the second and Hammond threw a 105-pitch complete game for a 4-1 victory.

The Saints also used defense to capture their seventh state championship.

“It’s wonderful,” Frenette said. “To look where we came from in the past three years and get two in a row — it’s just incredible. I feel like I say that a lot, but it’s quite an accomplishment to go two in a row, (especially after going 2-14 two years ago). Then end up going 6-8 last year, and I don’t remember our record this year, but it was over .500. To continuously get a better record, I think that’s great for the team and program.”

Monmouth celebrates near the pitcher’s mound after the final out against Bucksport in the Class C baseball state championship on June 20 at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

A RETURN TRIP, AND REDEMPTION

The second-seeded Monmouth Mustangs only lost one game in the regular season — a 3-0 loss to Oak Hill — and started the playoffs with a 6-1 win over Lisbon in the Class C South quarterfinal thanks to a five-run fifth inning. Luke Harmon drove in two runs and scored one for Monmouth in the game. Matt Marquis and Oliveira also had RBIs.

In the regional semifinal, the Mustangs got revenge over third-seeded Oak Hill with a 3-1 win. Kyle Palleschi had a game-high two hits and scored a run. Matt Marquis, Isaac Oliveira and Manny Calder each drove in a run.

Monmouth upset top-seeded Sacopee Valley — which entered the game undefeated — in the Class C South regional final with a 1-0 victory. Kyle Palleschi had a sac fly in the top of the third, scoring Sammy Calder. A Brandon Smith bunt got Calder to third to score the game’s lone run.

“I knew (Sacopee Valley starter Grady Cummings) was going to come after me, especially with a runner on second and third,” Kyle Palleschi said after the game. “I knew he was going to give me a pitch to hit. I knew I was going to try to hit the ball the other way and give Sam a chance to score, which I did.”

Calder threw a 95-pitch complete game, allowing six hits and two intentional walks while recording four strikeouts.

The win sent the Mustangs to the state championship game for the second time in three seasons, after losing to Orono in the 2021 Class C state final. The 2023 team featured some of the same players that were part of that state runner-up squad.

Sammy Calder got the call to go back on the hill in the state championship game against Bucksport and had another complete game, allowing only four hits while striking out six. Older brother Manny Calder — one of those 2021 team members — went 2 for 3 at the plate with a two-run single in the third inning of the 3-0 win.

“It was super special, it’s one of those things we always thought about, and it’s always been one of our goals, along with all of our other teammates,” Manny Calder said. “… We have been playing our whole lives, and it was our end goal. It was awesome getting it done.”

Edward Little players celebrate after beating Bangor 10-6 to win Class A North baseball final on June 14 in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

AN UPHILL CLIMB TO THE TOP

The Red Eddies entered the playoffs after losing the final regular season game to Lewiston and drawing top-seeded Brewer in the Class A North regional quarterfinals.

Edward Little came from behind in the top of the seventh when Eli St. Laurent drove home Caleb Albert to tie the game and Campbell Cassidy scored the go-ahead run to defeat the Witches 4-3. Cassidy came on in relief for Drew Smith and held the Witches scoreless in relief.

In the regional semifinal, Brady Vincent nearly went the distance by going 6 2/3 innings in a 6-3 victory against fourth-seed Messalonskee.

Messalonskee scored its runs after Vincent came out of the game because he reached the pitch limit.

St. Laurent had three hits and drove in two runs for the Red Eddies as Edward Little built up a 6-0 lead.

Edward Little had a date with seventh-seeded Bangor in the regional semifinals and the Red Eddies defeated the Rams 10-6. Vincent drove in two runs in the second inning and Albert had two RBIs in the third inning.

“I was expecting a low score — like 1-0, maybe a suicide squeeze to win the game,” Albert said. “I did not expect — I mean, it’s hot, the ball was moving far today. But I did not expect this. I did not expect a 10-6 win.”

Gage Ducharme’s RBI single extended Edward Little’s lead to 7-3 in the top of the fourth. George Socolow cut the deficit in the bottom of the fourth with a three-run homer.

“I just knew it was going to be a close game, and that, you know, we had to stay mentally tough, and that we would have some opportunities for us, and also be some for Bangor,” Edward Little coach Dave Jordan said. “And I thought that guys did a great job of responding every time something didn’t go our way.”

The Red Eddies added three insurance runs in the fifth.

Edward Little’s underdog run came to an end in the state championship game when South champ South Portland came away with a 5-0 victory to win its second state title in three years.

“We never felt like we were an eight seed,” Jordan said after the loss. “I felt like we gave it all we had today. We just ran into a team that was better.”