Sunday, July 28, 2013

Windham players mix it up in the Shriners Lobster Bowl By Michelle Libby


Four athletes from Windham High School represented at the 24th annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl Classic. Football players Damien Shepard and Brandon Mitchell and cheerleaders Haley Williams and Cassidy Gaudet all played and cheered for the West team. They spent the week before the Saturday game training with athletes from all of the area, the once rivals coming together to raise money for Shriners hospitals.


“It was so great to see the East/West become rivals yet are such great friends,” said parent Beth Gaudet.
The football players were at Hebron Academy and the cheerleaders were at CMCC. The game took place in Biddeford last Saturday. Both East and West teams as well as their cheerleaders raised $94,000, the most ever, for Shriners hospitals.









The East beat the West for the first time in two years with a score of 25-13. 

Friday, July 26, 2013

Windham loses final 5-2 By David Field

BETHEL-Already clinching the Zone 3 regular season first place spot, Windham took a long drive to play a game that meant nothing in the standings and lost to Locke Mills. Windham was missing several key players which could have made a difference in the outcome of this game.

In the first, Calvin Field led off with a single and stole second. He was driven in by Joey Francoeur to give Windham the early lead. Windham held Locke Mills scoreless for four innings as the Francoeur brothers pitched a combined four innings and allowed two hits.


Windham hit the board again in the fourth as Joey Francoeur again reached base on a solid triple. Tanner Laberge drove him in with a solid double. Windham’s scoring would cease after this.


Tanner Laberge took the hill in the fifth and the Locke Mills team took advantage. The first run was generated by a walk that advanced on stealing and an error by catcher Spencer Hodge. Then, Locke Mills just lit up Laberge and hit the ball where they wanted and generated two more runs to take the lead. In the fifth, the Windham team struggle at the plate and Locke Mills continued their hitting. They managed another two runs to seal the deal for the final game. That win earned Locke Mills a tie for sixth place in Zone 3 and gave them an opportunity to play on Saturday to enter the tournament.


Windham held on to first place and played on Sunday based on the winner of Saturday’s elimination game(s).






Windham advances in Zone 3 By David Field



WINDHAM-Windham defeated Locke Mills 4-1 to advance to the Zone 3 Tournament Final.
Locke Mills had to win two games to play Windham. The first game on Saturday was to determine the number six seed. Then, Locke Mills defeated Bessey Motors to advance to face Windham.


With some serious doubts about their available pitching depth, Windham still had to battle to earn the win. Things were even until the fifth inning. Windham hit the board after Calvin Field drew a walk and stole second base. Field advanced to third on Spencer Hodge’s sacrifice. Joey Francoeur then launched a deep double that scored Field. Shawn Francoeur hit a single to drive in his brother to give Windham the 2-0 lead.


Locke Mills attempted a threat when the plated a run in the sixth. However, the threat was short lived. Windham’s Alex Loftis drew a walk in the eighth. He advanced to third on Nate Boyle’s at bat that resulted in an error. Cody Dube came to bat and dropped a bunt that turned into a sacrifice play. Loftis scored and Boyle advanced. With two outs, Calvin Field reached on an error by the third baseman to score Boyle.


With the win, Windham faces Past-Time (Lewiston) in the Zone 3 Championship in Windham last Monday night. The winner gets an automatic bid to the state tournament in Augusta on July 31. The other team has a play-in game on Saturday, July 27 to get in to the tournament. Lewiston defeated Auburn to advance to the tournament final.

Legion Zone 3 championship game derailed By David Field

WINDHAM-As of Monday night, Windham and Past-Time (Lewiston) battled to a dead even 11-11 tie after ten innings. Despite the start time of 4:30 p.m, this game would need extra time. 





Lewiston got on the board quickly when catcher Alex Small hit a single and stole second. Corbin Hyde singled in Small. Windham wasted little time making their offense known as well. Calvin Field led off with a walk and stole second and third. Spencer Hodge also drew a walk. With runners at the corners, Joey Francoeur flied out deep to center and Field tagged up and scored. Hodge stole second and was driven home on Dennis Meehan’s deep fly ball to right field. After one, Windham had the 2-1 lead.


Windham held Lewiston scoreless in the second. With one out, Ethan Petty hit a single and advanced when Zach Conley reached base on an error. Calvin Field blistered a deep shot to center to drive in Petty and Conley and land him on third. Field scored on Spencer Hodge’s hit to give Windham the early 5-1 lead. Lewiston countered in the third when Corbin Hyde launched a ball over the fence to record a run for Lewiston. In the bottom frame, with one out, Tanner Laberge and Nate Boyle both drew walks. Ethan Petty batted a single in to drive Laberge in. After three, it was 6-2.


Brian Wigant of Lewiston started the fourth with a walk and quickly stole second. Mike Wong batted him in with a single. Leadoff hitter, Luke Cote, drove Wong in with a single to narrow the Windham lead to two runs. In the bottom of the fourth, Windham’s Dennis Meehan led off with a walk and Shawn Francoeur was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Tanner Laberge hit a single to drive Meehan in. Windham’s lead gap had shrunk by one at the end of the inning.


The fifth inning was not starting pitcher Cody Dube’s inning. Dube gave up three hits and Windham committed two errors to give Lewiston four runs and the lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Ethan Petty reached on a single. With one out, Calvin Field drove another deep ball for a triple. The relay from center field was on the mark and Petty was thrown out attempting home. Spencer Hodge reached base on an error and Field scored to tie the game at 8. 


The ninth inning saw some different baseball as Lewiston went to the short game (bunting) to create runs and take a three-run lead. In the bottom of the inning, Windham again answered the call. With one out, Ethan Petty hit a triple. Andrew Whiting and Calvin Field drew walks to load the bases. Spencer Hodge grounded into a fielder’s choice, but Petty scored. Joey Francoeur drew a walk to again load the bases. Dennis Meehan lined a single to drive in Whiting and Field to again tie the game. Due to diminished light, the game was suspended after ten complete innings. 


Play continued tonight for the Zone 3 Legion championship. Nate Boyle took the hill for Windham and performed almost flawlessly. Boyle, with help from his defense kept Past-Time off the board. However, Past-Time shuffled their pitchers in and out using Luke Cote and Corbin Hyde to contain Windham. In the twelfth, Windham had bases loaded with one out and couldn’t put the winning run across. 


In the top of the sixteenth, Boyle came out to pitch. After he delivered, Lewiston called timeout. After a conference with the home plate umpire, the Zone 3 commissioner was asked to come on the field. After the commission examined Windham’s books, the game was immediately ended and Windham Forfeited for using an ineligible pitcher. 


Legion rules are clear about pitcher’s rest time. A pitcher my only pitch twelve innings in three days. Boyle had thrown seven on Sunday against Locke Mills. When Boyle came out and delivered in the sixteenth, he actually reached the 13 inning mark in three days. 


Later Wednesday night, the State Commissioner was called in after Windham filed a protest saying the game should not have been forfeited.

Friday update: Windham will remain runners-up after the final ruling of the game should not have been forfeited and the initial call was incorrect. However, the protest had to be lodged while the umpires were still on the field and that wasn’t the case here.

Out and about in the Lakes Region By Leah Hoenen



Weekend walks with the dogs are our ritual. They signal the beginning of the weekend, two precious days to focus on our family and our home and decompress from the week at work. For the dogs, the weekend means two days of fun, adventure and our devoted attention. Typically, we start at Black Brook Preserve.

The first trail we explored when we moved to Windham, it remains our favorite. In a year of hiking, we’ve only encountered two other sets of dogs and their people, and one day we met people from The Windham Land Trust doing maintenance.


It’s so quiet there that my husband gave me the one-eyebrow-up, I’m-not-sure-this-is-your-best-idea look when I started writing this.


We start from the Windham Center Road, walk past wildflowers and head into the woods. The hiking is slowly uphill until we reach a huge boulder, climb a little more and scurry downhill and around to where beavers have dammed the brook and creating a large, gray pond. There is usually evidence of their work along the trail. Bullfrogs croak and birds rustle around in the plants along the water’s edge, confounding the dogs, who aren’t sure if they want to investigate those noises or hurry past.


It’s a little wet in the middle of the trail, but there is a series of well-maintained bridges to keep our feet dry, although the dogs reliably opt for the wet-and-muddy route.


Trails criss-cross the 105-acre Black Brook Preserve, allowing hikers to choose routes of a variety of lengths. The mid-length route is our favorite (we take the Diamond Trail to the Hawkes Trail and follow that back to Diamond), giving us and the dogs a nice bit of exercise over about two miles of rising and falling terrain. The trail runs through beautiful woods underlain with ferns and shrubs.


Though the parcel touches Roosevelt Trail and Route 202, it’s largely quiet except for the sounds of birds and frogs; just a little road noise is audible along parts of the trail. It offers a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the highways in town.


The preserve feels very well established. Some of the trees are clearly quite old and one gets the sense that the trails have been walked and the ambiance enjoyed millions of times by those with a deep appreciation for nature.


The Windham Land Trust’s website (http://www.windhamlandtrust.org) says Black Brook Preserve is open for hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, which is limited to certain sections.

Boy Scouts conquer rapids and make rescue By Aidan Day

Windham Boy Scout Troop 805 recently had an exciting overnight rafting trip on the Kennebec River at Three Rivers Whitewater Rafting in The Forks, Maine.
Kevin Day, an assistant Scoutmaster for 805, said he knew the rapids could throw a person out of the raft, but he did not expect it to happen. 


"Our day on the river started with an exciting, yet tense situation,” Day began. “The first set of rapids we encountered were so strong that one of the rafters behind us was thrown from his boat. He was able to float down through a dangerous section of the river using his lifejacket, but was unable to reach his guide for rescue. 


Day continued, “Fortunately, one of the Troop 805 rafts was in a back-eddie close to the rafter. The Scouts and Scout leaders were able to pull the man into their boat and rescue him. They floated down river and returned him to his boat where he got medical attention for cuts and scrapes on his legs. And this was all in the first ten minutes of the trip!" 


Boy Scouts on the trip were Aiden Day, Kevin Ingalls, Dean Preston, Tyler Lewis, Owen Watson, Ezra Stevens and Tucker Labbe. 


The scouts camped out in two, eight-man cabins and played Frisbee in the big field at the camp. After a campfire, they settled into their bunks.
 The next day, the rafting over 14 miles of the Kennebec River began. The first river section the Scouts rafted was called “Taster,” because it gives you a little taste of how the whitewater feels. 


 Next, the troop went down “Big Mama.”


One Scout, Aiden Day said he got a thrill on this stretch.”Big Mama was harder, but was one of the most fun ones. I was in the front along with Owen Watson and on that run we got splashed a ton! One time I even went flying in the air, but managed to stay on the raft.”


Paul Preston, an assistant scoutmaster, said he enjoyed the start of the trip the most.


 “My favorite part of the day was at the beginning when we went down the stairs with our raft, seeing the river and seeing everyone’s anticipation to go down the river,” he said. 


 According to American Whitewater, a non-profit organization, the incidence of commercially guided rafting fatalities is estimated to range from one death per 250,000 person visits for an individual raft trip.” There have only been 10 reported deaths in Maine from whitewater trips since 1975.


Acute rafting injuries are most often due to contact with another rafter’s paddle or other equipment. The next most common injury is the rafter hitting an object while “swimming.”

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Raymond/Windham junior softball wins District 6 By David Field


RAYMOND -On Sunday, July 14, the District 6 Junior League Softball Tournament Championship game was held and the Raymond/Windham squad defeated Portland 1-0, in their first year of competition.
 





Leading the team was pitcher Dani Tardif who struck out ten in seven innings of work and was supported well by her defense.  Dani only allowed one hit during the game.  Raymond/Windham’s run came in the second inning.  Lilly MacPherson led things off by being hit by a pitch.  MacPherson stole second to set up the winning run.  Suzanne Butterfield ripped a shot into the outfield to score MacPherson. 
 

Raymond/Windham tried a few times to score an insurance run, but was foiled.  In the seventh inning, Butterfield reached on a single.  Jaycee Hovey dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Butterfield.  Butterfield managed to get to third on an error by the shortstop.  Katie Hunter drove the ball hard to the third baseman and Butterfield attempted to get home, but was thrown out at the plate. 
 

In the tournament, Raymond/Windham had previously defeated Portland in a come from behind win.  Being down 5-3 in the seventh, the team managed to score four runs to defeat Portland to remain in the winner’s bracket. 
 

The Raymond/Windham squad will face Biddeford in Biddeford for the State of Maine Junior Softball Championship Friday, July 19 and Sunday, July 21.  



Correction from the coach: 

The winning run was scored on a fielders choice hit by Stefi Daniels that scored the only and winning run.

Windham collects thirteenth victory with win over Tir-Town By David Field




WINDHAM-Windham Merchants racked up another win over Tri-Town in Zone 3 American Legion Baseball action on Thursday, July 11.  Windham defeated the Tri-Town team 2-0.
 

Joey Francoeur took the hill for Windham to start the game.  He pitched five solid innings before giving up to reliever Cody Dube.  Windham put runs up in the second when Joey Francoeur reached base on a walk.  With one out, Tanner Laberge roped a single to put runners at the corners.  Ethan Petty came to bat and crushed a ball deep to the outfield to record a double and plate Francoeur and Laberge to give Windham all they would need to win the game.  The game was threatened by dark skies and distant rumbles of thunder.  However, the game was able to be completed and was finished with a fine rainbow presentation at the end. Windham next faces Andy Valley on Saturday July 13.
 


Windham takes two from Andy Valley By David Field


WINDHAM -Andy Valley came to Windham hoping to improve their one win record. The Windham Merchants had other plans in play as they upended the visitors two times with 7-0 scores.
 

In game one, starting pitcher Shawn Francoeur went four innings, striking out six to lead Windham to the victory. In relief, Sam Pattee took the hill for two and Tanner Laberge finished in the seventh for Windham.
 

Offensively, Windham’s Calvin Field led game one off with a dribbler single to set up the game winning run. Field stole second to get in scoring position. Spencer Hodge drove a ball deep to right center to move Field to third. Dennis Meehan batted Field in despite being put out to record the run. Joey Francoeur came to bat and put up a nice single. Brother Shawn drove him in with a hard shot to the outfield. Francoeur tried to get an extra base and was thrown out at third.
 

In the second, Tanner Laberge hit a nice shot to the outfield to record a double. On the next play, Nate Boyle hit a ball that caught Laberge in a run down. Laberge would be put out and Boyle remained on base. Boyle stole second on a wild throw and advanced to third on a passed ball. Zach Conley drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Andrew Whiting ripped a single to drive Boyle in. Calvin Field came to bat and drove a ball deep to center field to drive Zach Conley in.
 

In the third, Shawn Francoeur reached base on a fielder’s choice. Tanner Laberge hit a single to advance Francoeur. Nate Boyle reached base on an error that scored Francoeur to give Windham the five run lead. Windham added two more in the sixth when Zach Conley drew a walk and Calvin Field drove a double deep to the outfield to score Conley. Field was then driven in by reliever Sam Pattee to record the final run.
 

Game two saw Calvin Field draw a walk to start Windham’s attack. Field stole second and advanced on Spencer Hodge’s fly out to right field. Dennis Meehan drove Field in to score the game winning run. In the second, Alex Loftis reached base on a single and scored a run when Calvin Field hit a double to plate him. In the fifth, Calvin Field led off with a single and scored on Spencer Hodge’s double. Dennis Meehan followed with a base hit to put runners at the corners. Ethan Petty drove in Hodge with a single. Tanner Laberge followed with a fielder’s choice that plated Dennis Meehan to give Windham the 5-0 lead.
 



In the sixth, Alexis Loftis lead off with a single. Calvin Field followed with a single to drive in Loftis. Dennis Meehan hit a single to drive Field in to finish Windham’s scoring.

Athlete of the Week - Cameron McCartney

The Windham Eagle athlete of the week is 13-year-old Cameron McCartney who attends Windham Middle School.
 

“Cam was nominated because he had a good WMS season on the mound.  He batted at around .600 and his OBP was .750 and his slugging percentage was 1.000.
 

He had a great season this past spring on and off the field,” said his coach. Cameron said he couldn’t live without baseball and hopes he can get into a good college where he can play baseball. He also plays soccer.
 

His hobbies are playing baseball, hanging out with my friends and fishing.
Cameron lives with his parents Michelle and James McCartney and his two brothers Caleb and Cayden.
   
Best way to unwind after competition:  Having a good meal and relaxing for the day.



Windham blanks Bessey 3-0 and moves to 15-2 By David Field


OXFORD-Despite the heat and humidity, baseball continues and Windham showed their best in defeating Bessey Motors 3-0 on Tuesday.
 

Windham’s ace hurler, Cody Dube, had the hill for Windham and went the distance striking out five and allowing three hits in the shutout. 
 

Windham got on the board in the third inning when Nate Boyle led off with a double.  Andrew Whiting followed with a single.  With one out, Calvin Field drew a walk to load the bases.  Spencer Hodge hit the ball right at the third baseman and he delivered the ball to home to get Boyle out on the force play.  With two outs, Joey Francoeur drove a sharp single to drive in Whiting and Field to give Windham the edge they needed to win the game. 
 

In the seventh, Calvin Field drew a walk.  In a pickoff attempt, with the sun in the first baseman’s eyes, the throw was not caught and traveled far into foul territory.  Field advanced to third on the errant throw.  Joey Francoeur drove in his third run of the game when he crushed a ball deep to right field.  On the tag up, Calvin Field scored the final run.
 




Windham faced Locke Mills in Bethel on July 18 and then hosts a team on Sunday for the Zone 3 Legion Tournament.  The Legion State Tournament is being held in Augusta this year.

When the number on your scale won't budge By Glenn Hutchinson

When the number on your scale won’t budge
By Glenn Hutchinson

Unfortunately, the fat loss game is more frustrating than most care to admit. The scale quickly becomes a dreaded enemy—a constant bearer of bad news.
 

If the number on your scale won't budge, then read on for some reasons why:
 

Possibility #1: You're not eating enough calories
This only happens in cases of severe calorie restriction, so don't take it as a license to eat whatever you'd like. When you're trying to drop a few pounds by eating next to nothing, it actually counteracts your efforts.
There are a base number of calories that you should be eating in order to maintain your proper bodily functions, including fat loss, so check with your health coach to make sure that you're eating enough.
 

Possibility #2: You're eating too many carbs
Processed carbs will promote fat storage quicker than you can say the alphabet. Blood sugar and insulin levels always respond the same to processed carbs.
 

You're fooling yourself, but not your scale, if you think processed carbs should be included in your fat loss diet.
 

Possibility #3: You're doing too much cardio  
If you're doing hours of steady-state cardio, it's going to end up working against your fat loss efforts. All that cardio promotes the release of stress hormones in your body, which counteracts your ability to lose fat.
See a trainer about designing your ideal exercise routine for maximum fat loss. I'll let you know how much cardio should be included in your routine.
 

Possibility #4: You're not getting enough sleep
You may not see the connection between your sleep patterns and the number on your scale, but it's there. Sleep patterns have an impact on your hormone levels, and hormones are a huge factor when it comes to losing fat.
 

Be sure to get a full eight hours of sleep each night to boost your fitness results.
 

Possibility #5: Your snacks have no protein
Small, whole foods snacks throughout the day can help maintain your metabolism and encourage fat loss, but it all depends on what you're snacking on. Fruit-only snacks quickly break down to sugar, which causes insulin to be released and potential fat storage to occur, much like when you eat processed carbs. Sure, the fruit will make less of an impact than a candy bar. However, you should be snacking smarter.
 

Only eat snacks that contain the correct portion of protein to carbs, with some healthy fat. This will help to stabilize your blood sugar levels while also keeping hunger at bay longer.
 

Possibility #6: You eat diet foods
I get it. You have a fat loss goal so it's tempting to fall into the trap of purchasing foods that claim to help dieters. The problem lies in the fact that these “diet” products have been highly processed and contain potentially harmful chemicals and artificial sweeteners that will confuse your hormones and promote fat storage.
 

The best diet strategy, when working towards a fitness goal, is to stick with real, fresh, whole foods. Steer clear of anything fake or processed.
Don't wait another week, another day, or even another hour to take action.

Glenn Hutchinson runs On the Go Health and Wellness Coaching for Busy People in Raymond. To reach him, email Columnist@TheWindhamEagle.com

A trop to a remote area, a personal account By David Field


So, after having a very hectic spring, I cut loose and took a weekend away last weekend.  Yes, it meant missing a Legion double header.  But, I knew that there was plenty of baseball in my future.  So, Friday morning, my friend, Cliff Knight and I headed to our camp in T8R4.  It is also known as the Hawkins Brook Palace.  The locals, the few that are there, refer to it as just “the palace”.  We are talking about a small one room cabin with an outhouse to do your business in.  However, this structure and others before it have been on the property for almost 100 years.  There are still berms from where the original campers had their horse pen.  They used to come in by horse and carriage to hunt and fish. 
 

So, with the history behind us, we arrived around 11 a.m. and unpacked.  We had lunch and then went on a wood mission. We filled the back of the truck shortly with various blow downs and other wood remnants allowed by our lease.  We got back to camp, cut it up, split and stacked it.  So, with a little lactic acid in the arms, we then ventured to Hawkins Brook to see if the brook trout were biting.
 

We parked the truck, dragged the canoe to Pine Knoll Landing as we call it and ventured up Hawkins, back towards the camp.  We portaged around a very tall beaver dam and continued on to a much higher brook than we have been used to.  Finding Staples Trout Hole, Russell’s Hole and the Elm Works Brook inlet were a tough job.  All three spots have produced trout in the past.  We were fishing with earthworms and were only catching the ever abundant chubs.  Disheartened, we paddled back to Pine Knoll.  We followed a very large beaver from Staples Trout Hole back to the beaver hut.  That beaver was very, very large.  We got back to camp and had a simple macaroni and cheese with hot dog dinner.  We finished with an outside campfire and soon our muscles began to ache from the work we had done. 
 

Up early, we managed a sausage and egg breakfast before hitting the brook again in hopes of landing some brookies.  However, after fishing for over three hours, we were skunked.  We packed up and headed back to camp for lunch.  We finished cutting and stacking wood for our fall hunting season.  We did some camp clean up and then headed to a pit about three miles away.  We did some skeet shooting and had some fair sparring between us as to who was better.  We returned to camp to finish the day with a potato and onion in tinfoil combo with grilled moose meat and salad. 





This camp is located three miles from an asphalt road. The cell service is okay, but not consistent.  We have hunted bear, partridge, moose and deer from this camp.  I call it my decompression location.  It is a simplified way of living and ever relaxing.  The photos I have presented remind me of the late Bill Silliker.  As he used to say, “Catch yours in the good light.”

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Local soccer players to compete for national championship in Aurora, CO

The U16G Seacoast United Mariners soccer team is headed to the US Club Soccer National Cup XII Finals from July 18-21, 2013 in Aurora, CO. This talented group of young ladies, which features some of the top premier players in Maine, won the US Club National Cup XII Northeast Regional over Memorial Day weekend in LaGrangeville, NY, shutting-out their opponents 16-0 over 4 games.
This will be the Mariners second try in less than a year at a national title — they made it to the final championship round of the United Soccer League Super-Y Nationals this past December where they conceded to a talented Atlanta team.


Members of the team hail from across the state—Windham having the most representation with six players. They include forwards Melissa Morton and Jenna Soucy, mid-fielders Cassie Symonds and Shannon Valente, defender Jordan Symonds, and goalkeeper Elizabeth Mycock. The Seacoast United Mariners are coached by James Blackwell.


The Mariners have competed in 42 games since their season began in late November—with a record of 28-9-5.

Windham Little League update by David Field

Windham’s 11 year old all-star team started off strong in the tournament against Gray-New Gloucester.  Windham’s bats were hot and the defense was just as hot as they defeated the neighboring team 14-0 in a lightning delayed four-inning match on Friday, July 5.  Windham then faced Falmouth and lost 5-1 on Saturday, July 6.  Windham plays next on Wednesday, July 10 in an elimination game against Yarmouth.

The 9-10 Baseball team defeated Westbrook 1-0 to advance to the District 6 Championship game, which they won for the second year in a row this year they played Scarborough.  The banner presentation was held Wednesday night at Lowell Field.

Windham takes two from Brunswick by David Field

BRUNSWICK-On July 3, a hot and steamy afternoon didn’t stop the Windham squad at all as they took game one 11-0.  Calvin Field led off with a walk and was quickly driven in by Tanner Laberge’s double to score the winning run.  Jack Herzig swapped places with Laberge to quickly give Windham the 2-0 lead. Jack Herzig swapped places with Laberge to put Windham up 3-0 in the first.  Herzig eventually scored on a passed ball and Spencer Hodge drew a walk.  Hodge was driven in by Shawn Francoeur to end the first inning scoring. 

Windham struck again in the third and fifth innings to bring the game to a mercy end.  Shawn Francoeur threw an almost perfect game for Windham to record the victory.


Game two saw Windham get on top and not look back.  Nate Boyle led off with a single and stole second and third to set up Windham’s first run. Boyle scored on a passed ball to give Windham the early lead and the eventual winning run.  With two out, Alex Loftis drew a walk, stole second and advanced to third and home on passed balls to put another run on the board for Windham. 


In the third, the whole lineup contributed to scoring with either base hits, walks, or scoring on passed balls.  The Windham squad took advantage of every opportunity Brunswick handed them. In the fifth, Alex Loftis reached on a single.  Shawn Francoeur drove a ball deep to the outfield to drive Loftis in.  With nothing to lose, coach Brody Artes waived Francoeur around the third base in an attempt to get another run.  Francoeur was thrown out easily at the plate to end the inning.  With thunder rumbling nearby, the umpires called the game and it was a welcome relief to the humid conditions the boys were in.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Windham Upends Rogers by David Field

AUBURN-Windham defeated Rogers Post 12-1 to take sole possession of first place in Legion Zone 3 standings.

Rogers hit the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff batter, Nate Blais hit a double and was sacrificed to third.  Blais found home after tagging up after Josh Delong flew out to center field. Windham quickly answered in the second.  Tanner Laberge got on with a single, stole second and Zach Conley drove him in with a single. 


After a couple of quick, scoreless innings, Windham’s bats generated some runs.  Calvin Field led the inning off with a single and stole second.  Spencer Hodge hit a single to drive Field in.  Joey Francoeur hit a single to advance Hodge to third.  With two out, Jack Herzig drove in Hodge and Francoeur.  Tanner Laberge drew a walk.  Ethan Petty roped a double to drive in Herzig and Laberge. 
In the top of the seventh, Windham once again proved that they play a full game of baseball.  In the inning, Dennis Meehan, Alex Loftis, Jack Herzig, Tanner Laberge, Ethan Petty and Zach Conley all scored.  Nate Boyle pitched the whole game for Windham and recorded four strikeouts.


Windham’s next three games are at home. They faceTri-Town (Poland, Mechanic Falls and Minot) on Thursday and have a double header against Andy Valley on Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. at Windham High School.

Windham Shuts Out Smith-Tobey 8-0 by David Field

WINDHAM-After losing two to Lewiston, Windham came ready to play Sunday afternoon and handed Smith-Tobey an 8-0 loss. Shawn Francoeur pitched a three-hitter in the shutout.

Windham got on the board when Shawn Francoeur reached on a single and was driven in by Alex Loftis in the second inning. In the fifth, Calvin Field led off with a double, Jack Herzig followed with a single and Joey Francoeur drove both of them in with a double. In the bottom of the sixth, Nate Boyle started things off with a triple and Alex Loftis drove him in with a double. Spencer Hodge drew a walk and Calvin Field hit a single to drive Loftis in. With two out, Joey Francoeur hit a triple to drive Hodge and Field in. Brother Shawn drove in Joey to finish the scoring in the game.

Windham Legion Drops Two to Past-Time by David Field

LEWISTON- With steamy conditions and little relief, the Windham Merchants fell to rival Past-Time 6-5 and 5-1. In game one, Past-Time jumped out quickly to take a 3-0 lead in game one. In the second inning, Nate Boyle drove Joey Francoeur in to get Windham on the board. Past Time answered in the bottom frame when Luke Cote and Mike Wong both scored to make the score 5-1. Windham showed their resiliency. In the top of the third, Calvin Field drew a walk and stole second. Andrew Whiting drove Field in to add another run. In the bottom of the sixth, Past-Time’s Gage Cote was driven in by Luke Cote to up the team’s score to six. In the top of the seventh, Windham does what they do best, the came back. However, this comeback fell short. Calvin Field, Tanner Laberge and Andrew Whiting each hit singles and scored runs. Nate Boyle took the hill for Windham and wasn’t at the top of his game. Boyle lasted two innings and was relieved by Joey Francoeur for three innings and Sam Pattee for one.

In game two, Luke Cote’s name was again at the top of the Lewiston squads scoring list. Cote scored three runs to lead Past-Time over Windham. Cody Dube pitched four innings and left the game after he aggravated his back. Windham managed one run in the fourth when Dennis Meehan drew a walk and Joey Francoeur crushed a triple, driving Meehan in.