No matter who Orono High School threw at Old Town High School’s hitters, the Coyotes were able to get on base and usually score.
Old Town (9-2) baseball earned a 9-2 win over the Riots (6-6) on Thursday afternoon at home on senior night.
In the bottom of the first inning, Old Town’s leadoff batter Gabe Gifford walked and then stole second. Two batters later, Gifford scored the game’s first run when Jackson Lizotte hit a single off Orono’s starting pitcher Jack Brewer to make it 1-0.
After Old Town’s starting pitcher Jordan Craft struck out four batters over the first two innings, Alex McCannell led the bottom-half of the second inning off for the Coyotes with a walk. Orono went to the bullpen and Adam Sherman pitched to begin the second inning.
The Riots would go on to use six total pitchers on Thursday.
Two batters later, Ian Bouchard singled and then a groundout from Gifford drove home McCannell to double the lead to 2-0. Later in the inning, Brendan Mahaney drew a bases-loaded walk to increase Old Town’s advantage to 3-0.
Orono put two runs across the plate in the third inning.
Sal Wise led off the third by reaching on an error, followed by a double from Kason Bagley. A fielder’s choice from Noah Schaff drove in Wise, followed by a deep sacrifice fly from Sherman that scored Bagley to pull the Riots within 3-2.
Bagley and Brewer led Orono with two hits a piece.
In the bottom of the third, Old Town’s leadoff batter got on base and scored. James Dumond walked to begin the third, followed by a single from McCannell and a single from Josh Harvey. A sacrifice fly, a single and a bases-loaded walk later in the third drove in all three runners and gave the Coyotes some breathing room with a 6-2 lead.
Craft pitched five innings and gave up just two runs for Old Town, striking out six batters.
Preston Vose led off the fifth for Old Town with a single and later was driven home on a single from Mahaney. Mahaney later scored to make it 8-2.
Gifford scored the ninth run for Old Town in the seventh when he began the inning with a double and then scored three batters later when Mahaney grounded out. Mahaney drove in four runners on a ground out, a single and two walks.
Orono added a third run in the seventh inning. A one-out single from Bagley turned into a run later in the inning when Brewer reached on an infield single.