Tigers defeat PCHS in five innings

DEXTER — A trio of pitchers combined on a two-hitter for Dexter Regional High School during a May 17 Class C North contest against neighboring Piscataquis Community High School. While the hit count was low, the visiting Pirates did draw 14 walks but ended up stranding 13 runners — three times leaving the bases loaded — as Dexter won 12-2 in a mercy-rule shortened game of five innings.

The host Tigers would get all the needed runs in the bottom of the first inning. Senior Zach White put his team on the scoreboard by coming home on a throwing error following a steal of third base. Two batters later senior Brayden Miller hit an RBI-triple to drive in freshman Nathan Richards for the 2-0 advantage. Miller would tie for the game-lead with three RBIs.

Miller came home on junior Jacob Bickford’s single to leftfield — Bickford finished 3-for-3 with a trio of runs driven in — and later Bickford scored on a bunt single by junior Matthew Richards for the fourth run in Dexter’s first trip to the plate.

In the top of the second PCHS would draw three consecutive walks with two outs, freshman Wayne Haley and junior Tyler Soctomah both picked up one of their three bases on balls. Dexter freshman Tyler Emery then induced a fly ball to leftfield to end the inning with the bases loaded.

PCHS would again fill the bases in the top of the third, this time having two outs to work with. After freshman Preston Ricker drew four balls to take first base, Emery recorded a strikeout to put his team an out away from ending the inning.

Haley faced a 3-2 count as the sixth pitch of the at-bat missed the strikezone. The walk enabled junior Billy Griffith to trot home from third base to put PCHS on the scoreboard at 4-1. A strikeout in the next at-bat would end the inning with three Pirates stranded on the basepaths for the second straight inning.

Freshman Nickolas Long came on in relief of Emery at the start of the fourth inning and PCHS would load the bases with one out. Pirate sophomore Ethan Chadwick sent a Long pitch back to the mound and the hurler threw it to Matthew Richards at the plate for the force out. Richards then relayed the baseball to first base ahead of the runner to complete the double play.

With Dexter ahead 9-1 after four innings, the visitors again were able to load the bases. With freshman Logan Perkins on the mound, the Tiger defense got an infield flyball out and then out No. 2 in rightfield as the ball was not hit deep enough for freshman Colby York to tag and attempt to score from third.

Junior Cameron Kane then faced a 3-2 count vs. Perkins and he received a ball four call to take first base and allow York to score from third. Perkins followed with a strikeout to leave three runners on, the third of five innings with the bases loaded for the third out.

During the home half of the fifth, Matthew Richards scored on a wild pitch and sophomore Trever Richards doubled to leftfield to drive in Matthew Richards for the 11-2 lead. Trever Richards proceeded to swipe third base to put the potential 10-run mercy rule winning run 90 feet away from the plate.

After a strikeout by PCHS senior Kyle Kain, who pitched all four-plus innings for his team, White stepped into the batter’s box. Kain went into his wind-up as White switched his stance to lay down a bunt. White put the top of his bat on the ball as it landed on the grass between homeplate and the mound. Richards was off from third with the pitch and he scored the walk-off run standing up before a play could be attempted at the plate.

Dexter improved to 5-3 with the victory at the team’s halfway point of the season and PCHS fell to 0-10. The two teams are scheduled to play in Guilford on Wednesday, May 31 at 4:30 p.m.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
DOUBLE PLAY TO END THE INNING — Dexter junior Matthew Richards gets PCHS junior Tyler Soctomah out at the plate on the force before throwing to first to complete a double play to end the top of the fourth inning during a May 17 game. The Tigers would defeat the team’s neighboring rival 12-2 in five innings.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
AHEAD OF THE RUNNER — Freshman first baseman Preston Ricker stretches for the throw to get Dexter junior Matthew Richards out in the home half of the third inning.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
WINNING RUN — A bunt single by Dexter senior Zach White drove in sophomore Trever Richards during the May 17 game between the Tigers and PCHS. Pirate senior pitcher Kyle Kain could not get to the ball to flip it to sophomore Ethan Chadwick before Richards came home.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
EYES ACROSS THE DIAMOND — Junior shortstop Cameron Kane throws a fielded grounder to first, as Dexter senior Zach White runs along the basepath, for the third out of the second inning.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
VICTORY ON THE MOUND — Freshman Tyler Emery tossed the first three innings of Dexter’s 12-2 win vs. PCHS.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
HANDLING ALL THE PITCHING DUTIES — PCHS senior Kyle Kain tossed all four-plus innings at Dexter on May 17.