Softball showcase to match Maine stars against N.H.’s best

What has become an early summer tradition in high school baseball is being jumpstarted in the softball ranks.

The top high school senior players from Maine and New Hampshire will square off in the first Maine-New Hampshire Senior All-Star softball games July 8 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.

The teams will play a doubleheader with seven-inning games beginning at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and with a cookout slated between the two contests.

Thornton Academy of Saco coach John Provost, along with David Billings of the Maine Softball Coaches Association, were the forces in making the games possible.

“We’ve been trying to do these type of games for a while. Hopefully next year we’ll add an underclassmen game as well,” said Provost.

The Maine roster will consist of players who appeared in the recent Senior All-Star games at Cony High School in Augusta, including Fryeburg Academy pitcher and Miss Maine Softball winner Hannah Hill and Scarborough slugger Catie Funk.

Provost hopes the games will show some people beyond the state lines that Maine has some of the most talented players in New England.

“I just think we need to do more to showcase these kids,” Provost said. “I think its going to be real exciting for them, [and] give us a chance to show some of the talent in Maine.”

Provost and Billings each sent out e-mails to every coach in the state whose team is a member of the coaches’ association, which aided the selection of the rosters.

Provost hopes this event will come to Saint Joseph’s College in Standish next year.

Two Eastern Maine Class C standouts have been selected to play: Sumner of East Sullivan’s Lona Sargent and Erica Lyford of Penquis of Milo.

Other Eastern Mainers playing are Megan Gaguer of Oxford Hills of South Paris and Alyssa Levesque of Edward Little of Auburn.

Neighborly support

Calais and Baileyville are only eight miles apart, so it should be no surprise that members of the Class D state champion Woodland softball team supported their friends from Calais during last week’s Class C state final.

The two schools, which both have long-standing basketball traditions, now have golden gloves to add to their respective trophy cases, most recently Calais, which captured its first state championship with an 8-6 victory over Telstar of Bethel last Wednesday.

“It feels pretty awesome to have two golden gloves eight miles apart in the little county of Washington,” said Calais third baseman Toni Cole.

Woodland athletes came out in droves to lend the Devils some support.

“There were a bunch of Woodland boys out there, there were some of the Woodland [softball] champions along the fence, they were there just to support us,” Calais pitcher Tessa Clark said.

Woodland coach Greg Pullen, who coached alongside Calais’ Greg Smith in the recent senior all-star games, also made the trip to Brewer.

The Blue Devils also had a superstition of sorts after a furry creature ran in front of the team’s bus on Interstate 395 in Brewer en route to the Eastern C final against Sumner.

“A black bear actually crossed in front of us, so they thought that would bring them good luck,” said Smith, whose team got a stuffed black bear, put a uniform on it for the state final and paraded it around Coffin Field after winning the championship.

Foster takes Rockland job

Teel (Anderson) Foster, who had a stellar basketball career at the University of Southern Maine and Rockland District High School, recently was named that school’s girls varsity basketball coach.

Foster takes over for Ray Felt, who resigned after one season, citing health reasons.

Felt had replaced Karen Bickmore, who stepped down after nine seasons.

Foster, who assisted Felt last winter, graduated from Rockland in 1992 and went on to play at USM, earning a degree in therapeutic education 1996.

She also played four years of field hockey and three years of softball at Rockland.

Foster inherits a Rockland squad that compiled a 7-11 record last winter and earned a berth in an Eastern Maine Class B prelim. The Tigers graduated six seniors from that team, including top scorer Baillie Boggs.

MTCCA stars released

Several Eastern Maine track and field standouts have been named to the Maine Track and Cross Country Coaches Association’s All-State teams.

There are seven Eastern Maine girls on the first team: Brewer senior Kaitlin Noyes, Class A champion in the pole vault; Hannah Saunders of Caribou, Class B state champion and state record holder in the 1,600 race walk; Shelby Tuttle of Waterville, Class B gold medalist in the 100 hurdles and triple jump; teammate Danielle Fossa, champ in the shot put and discus; Danielle Hutchins of MDI, Class B state champ in the 200; and Shelby Wheeler of Orono, Class C winner in the pole vault; and Bangor hurdler Deanna Wilbur.

Honorable mention selections include Mary Carmack and Maggie Bryan of John Bapst of Bangor, Lynn Fleming of Waterville, Holli Kenison of Orono, Jana Larlee and Hillary Pelkey of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and Jamie Pelletier of Fort Kent.

On the boys’ side, area first-teamers are John Bapst’s Chris Fogler, Class C state champion in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles, and Bucksport’s Dom Kone, Class C gold medalist in the 100 and 200 dashes and long jump.

Headlining the honorable mention list are Joe Brown of Central of Corinth, Hampden Academy’s Jadrien Cousens, Cameron Doncet-Hall of Dexter, Wilbur Fogg of Belfast, Brad Loomis and J.D. Gurski of Waterville, Foxcroft Academy’s Dan Moriarty, Tyler Pembroke of Bangor, Nate Swan of Caribou and Vincent Tymoczko of Bucksport.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

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