New champions ready to be crowned

CLASS A
at Morton Field, Augusta
Messalonskee (16-3) vs. Scarborough (18-1), 1 p.m.

Over the past two seasons, the Red Storm have gone 32-4 under fourth-year head coach Wes Ridlon with an emphasis on pitching, defense, fielding and aggressive goal management. With standout junior Erik Swenson unavailable after his 105-pitch victory over Falmouth in the regional final, expect Ryan Shugars (4-0, 0.54 ERA) to start Saturday, along with Zak Sanders (4-0, 5 saves , 43 strikeouts). , 7 walks, 1.04 ERA) ready. Sanders came on early against Marshwood in the regional semifinals and pitched six two-run innings in a 5-2 win. Scarborough is not a powerful team. Of his 130 hits, 109 are singles. But the Red Storm visit the base frequently. Matthew Fallona leads the team with a .404 average and 18 RBIs. Senior shortstop Tyler Archambault (.317) helps set the table. Sanders (.345) leads the team with 25 points. Patrick McCue and Mason Porter have 16 and 15 RBIs, respectively. McCue, a .304 hitter, also walked 14 times, giving him an on-base percentage of .500. Fallona, ​​Sanders and Porter also have OBPs above .450. Sophomore Finn Coburn lengthened the lineup, hitting .429 in limited at-bats. He scored twice against Marshwood. … Messalonskee’s fourth-year head coach Eric Palin led the Eagles to their first regional title since 2012, when they beat Scarborough for the state title. Messalonskee junior Ty Bernier is the son of Ray Bernier, the coach of the 2012 Messalonskee team. Senior catcher Michael Achorn had two doubles and scored twice in the 4-3 regional final victory over Bangor. His freshman brother, Sean, closed out the last two postseason victories on the mound. Denny Martin, who started in a 6-5 regional semifinal win over Skowhegan, should be available to pitch.

CLASS B
at USM, Gorham
Caribou (12-7) v. Yarmouth (15-4), 4:30 p.m.

Yarmouth returns to the state finals after losing last year to Old Town, 1-0. The Clippers’ roster features 11 seniors, and it may be their experience that helped them to two playoff victories. In a semifinal twice delayed by rain, Jack Janczuk’s squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh scored two runs to beat York, 5-4. In Tuesday’s regional final, junior Alec Gagnon hit a two-out, two-strike triple to score two runs in a 2-1 win over No. 1 Greely, with Andrew Cheever (4-1, 3 saves, in 21 innings) winning the save. … Yarmouth has played close games for most of the season, as indicated by its modest 75-51 point differential. Sam Lowenstein, the team’s best pitcher who is unavailable after hitting his maximum pitch count against Greely, leads the team with a .375 batting average. Cheever (.325) is the only other regular player over .300, and no one on the team has more than nine RBIs. … Expect Saturday to be a bullpen game for Yarmouth, with David Swift (2-2, 28 innings, 2.25 ERA) and Sam Bradford (2-1, 18 2/3 innings, 2.62 ERA) possible starters, and Cheever the likely finisher. …. Caribou, which has never won a state title, is making only its second appearance in a state final. The sixth seed North eliminated No. 3 Old Town in the quarterfinals (12-2), blanked No. 7 Oceanside (5-0), then toppled No. 1 Ellsworth (4-2 ) Tuesday.

CLASS C
at the University of Maine, Orono
Bucksport (13-6) vs. Sacopee Valley (15-4), 1 p.m.

Sacopee Valley was the favorite to win it all last season before being upset by Monmouth Academy in the regional final. This year, the No. 2 Hawks turned things around by beating No. 1 Monmouth, 6-1, to advance to their first state championship game since beating George Stevens Academy in 2016. Gus Ritter pitched against Monmouth in a 6-1 regional final victory. , which leaves Dylan Capano available for Saturday’s game. Before the regional final, Sacopee coach Jamie Stacey said he wasn’t sure who would start Tuesday, but noted that between Capano, Ritter and standout shortstop Caleb Vacchiano, ” Dylan was kind of my No. 1 guy and the other two. are 1B. Dylan took the ball in bigger games. … Vacchiano is the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, a senior shortstop and a University of Maine recruit. He and catcher Brady Metcalf both had two hits with a double against Monmouth. Keegan Thibodeau is “a core machine” out of the top spot, according to Stacey. He scored three points against Monmouth. Bryce Stacey, Bradly Metcalf, Capano and Ritter give Sacopee a deep batting order. …Bucksport entered the North tournament as the fourth seed but showed it’s still the region’s best when it counts, winning its third straight regional title by shutting out No. 5 Mattanawcook Academy (9 -0) and No. 1 Foxcroft Academy (6-0) before beating No. 2 Washington Academy, 5-2, in Tuesday’s final. Bucksport won the 2022 state championship but lost last season, 1-0, to Monmouth. The Golden Bucks have their best pitcher available. Gavyn Holyoke had a hit at Foxcroft and also homered in the regional semifinals. Seniors Ayden Maguire and Gunther Cyr were key offensive players in the playoffs. Cyr had three straight games with three hits.

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