Cougars defeat pesky Roadrunners

DIXFIELD -- It certainly wasn’t pretty, however, the Dirigo baseball team came alive when it needed to.

Spencer Ross singled home freshman TJ Frost with the eventual winning run in the fourth inning as the Cougars survived a blown lead and then needed Arik Fenstermacher to earn a save in a 10-7 win against pesky Mount Abram at Harlow Park.

Dirigo had a predetermined plan to utilize its pitching staff, but the plan almost backfired. The Cougars had started strong and led 5-0, but found themselves trailing and needed to rally.

“This was absolutely obtrosous,” said Dirigo coach Ryan Palmer, who had coached at Mount Abram for the previous four seasons. “In the late innings, I just needed someone to come in and throw strikes. This wasn’t the team's best effort. We scored 10 runs, but it was not spectacular and our pitchers did not come through. To me, the biggest performance was by Spencer Trenoweth, who came in with the big hold in the sixth.”

Trenoweth had come in with Dirigo nursing a 9-7 lead. Mount Abram (1-3) had two baserunners with one out, but the righty struck out Ethan Boyd and induced Parker Kennedy to pop out. Sol Fask singled leading off the seventh but Fenstermacher came on to slam the door.

“I have to give Mount Abram a lot of credit," said Palmer, whose team will host rival Mountain Valley this afternoon. “They fought back and took a lead. Mount Abram is a pesky team and they will probably always will be.”

Dirigo scored five runs in the bottom of the first and third innings off Mount Abram pitcher Josh Beedy (0-2). Spencer Ross (two runs, three hits) tripled and scored on a passed ball. Fenstermacher and Holmes (three hits, three runs) both scored on Justin Conant single. Conant had an RBI double in the third.

Holmes had started and shut out the Roadrunners through three innings, but sidearm reliever Cody St. Germain wasn’t effective. Mount Abram sent 12 batters to the plate and led 6-5. The key blows included an RBI double and single. Jay Chenard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Holmes (2-0) returned to the mound and pitched.

Fenstermacher and St. Germain each had sacrifice flies. Frost (two hits) had an opposite field RBI single to tie it at 6-6. Holmes scored an unearned run in the sixth.