BETHEL – Derek Doucette and Kyle Giguere each pitched complete games to lead New Auburn Post 153 to a 9-3 and 7-1 sweep of a doubleheader over Locke Mills on Saturday.
New Auburn (4-1) started out slowly in the opener, but its relentless pressure eventually paid dividends. The key was a three-run home run by Matt Nadeau in the fourth inning.
“That was big,” New Auburn coach Jeff Benson said, referring to Nadeau’s moon shot that cleared the mesh fence in left field. “This team has been hitting the ball well, and today we had some key ones with two outs. Matt had been robbed on his previous at-bat on a (Will Carver) catch, but he wasn’t cheated again.”
New Auburn had lost to Bessey Motors on Wednesday, but received a forfeit win when it was determined Bessey had used an ineligible player.
Locke Mills (2-6) had taken the early lead when Ryan Savage led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on Shawn Marr’s RBI single. The Mountaineers stayed close with the help of two double plays by outfielder’s Marr and Carver, who each caught fly balls and threw to catcher Ben French to nail baserunners at home plate.
Doucette eventually took command, retiring nine of 12 batters over three scoreless innings. The southpaw struck out five and scattered six hits.
“Doucette threw a smart game,” Benson said. “He was always around the plate and (Giguere’ performance) gives us four complete games. Any time you are able to get two complete games in heat like this, it’s a plus.”
New Auburn pulled ahead 3-1 on a based-loaded walk to Nadeau, a throwing error and Steve Ciszewski’s RBI double.
Merrill added an RBI single and scored with Tom Hart on Nadeau’s blast.
New Auburn continued its onslaught by scoring six runs on five hits off Gary Rumley in the first inning of the nightcap. The visitors sent 11 batters to the plate, highlighted by Brady Blackman’s two-run double, Mike Muise’s sacrifice fly and Chris Merrill’s RBI single.
“We’ll get better,” Locke Mills coach Chris Olson said. “A couple walks and seeing-eye hits hurt Gary Rumley, who had won 3-2 last Saturday at Gray. But, Gary Holman came in and threw strikes and definitely earned a starting role in the rotation. He had been at Boys State during the week, so he’s just getting back with us.”
Holman allowed Meserve’s RBI single in the second, but then threw shutout ball the rest of the way. The right hander allowed three hits, struck out two and retired the final 10 batters.
Ryan Savage scored on Shawn Marr’s single in the first. Locke Mills had three hits in the fourth, but Giguere helped his own cause by picking T.J. Savage off second base and fanning Matt Marr to end the inning.
“We’re not to fundamentally sound,” Olson said. “I only had two players on the field who have played legion ball before, so we are inexperienced.”
Rumley went 4-for-6 in the doubleheader.
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