Windham varsity baseball drops road game to Sanford

By Matt Pascarella

In a hard-fought road game against Sanford on Saturday, May 24, Windham varsity baseball tied the game 1-1 early on and later Windham freshman Aiden Rinaldi hit his first varsity homer, but Windham ultimately lost to the Spartans, 9-2.

Windham freshman Aiden Rinaldi receives congratulations
from his teammates after hitting his first home run during
a varsity baseball game at Sanford High School on
Saturday, May 24. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA
 

“You saw the momentum shift,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “We had a 1-1 game; in the third you drop an infield pop-up, walk, two guys on, hit, they score two runs – things like that tend to compound on each other and swings the momentum. We kind of got it back ... when we tied it up, gave it back to them, had a couple of errors and had some stuff not go our way. Once that momentum shifts, if you don’t do something to stick your foot in the ground and grab it back quickly, it can go downhill fast. Some of the mistakes we made today were mental ... we’re a young team, building toward the future. Aiden Rinaldi hitting that homerun – great attitude, great kid, coachable, in the gym, little things like that pay off, you can always take some positives from our failures. We can’t let fastballs go by early in the count and then swing at the other team’s pitch. We got caught doing that a lot today and that’s why we struck out a lot today. Just being aggressive and trusting themselves and having confidence (needs work), because we’re young that’s something that’ll come with time.”

Sanford scored in the second inning on a passed ball.

Windham was quick to answer in the third inning when senior Grant Coppi walked. Then freshman Mason Rulman reached first base on an error after he hit a ground ball to the shortstop and Coppi scored.

In the fourth inning, Sanford added more and more runs to the scoreboard.

In the fifth inning, Rinaldi blasted a home run to left field.

“The home run felt great,” said Rinaldi. “If we made some better fielding (to flip the score), pitchers threw fine, really, it’s fielding. We had better attitudes, but getting more hits (needs work). We were nervous (at the plate), eager to hit the ball.”

In the top of the sixth inning, Windham sophomore Alex Pastore singled, but was left on base.

“We’re all just trying to get hits and I’m just trying to put the ball in play to help the team,” said Rulman. “I feel like our team could do better at that. We need to start swinging more earlier in the count. Personally, I’m not swinging for the best pitches, and I know a lot of the kids in the dugout aren’t either. If we get our mindset right and swing for the first pitch, we’ll see that’s good and then we’ll have better outcomes. The other team put a bat on it and did their job. I feel like everyone is mad at themselves, performance-wise. When one person gets mad and there’s no cheering in the dugout, we have no chance to go on a rally. We just need to hit the ball, we can’t score without hitting.”

Windham starting pitcher and junior Anthony Rinaldi said he didn’t think they were fully prepared. He agreed with his teammates and said he thought that some were more focused on getting a big hit than just trying to hit the ball. There was a lot of waiting for the perfect pitch. Anthony Rinaldi said they need to work together as a team and be more prepared. <

Windham upends Kennebunk in preliminary baseball playoff

By Matt Pascarella

Ranked 12, Windham varsity baseball traveled to fifth-place Kennebunk to face off in a preliminary playoff round against Kennebunk on Tuesday, June 4. Although Kennebunk jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third inning, Windham fought back to pull ahead in the sixth inning and secured a 3-2 win to advance to the next playoff round.

Windham senior Owen Dakin nears home plate during a
prep baseball preliminary playoff game against Kennebunk
at Kennebunk High School on Tuesday, June 4.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“This year the guys just believed in themselves more,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “This year we knew how good we were from the beginning, and we kept believing in the process. We showed up ready to play today; the boys were fired up when we got here, stuck to our guns, executed, I think the moment wasn’t too big for them, they were ready to compete all seven innings. [Windham] stayed honest to their approach ... at the plate, waited for their pitch, stayed deep in counts – kind of got ahead – when you get ahead in counts like that you give yourself the opportunity to really hit the ball hard and that’s exactly what they did. Teamwork today was some of the best I’ve seen, the most together I’ve seen all season long, it’s all you can ask for. Everybody in the lineup did something ... and competed across the board; it came together for us and obviously Cam Davis’s big hit in the sixth inning, I don’t think it gets any bigger a moment than that. If we play clean baseball like we played today, I’d put us up against any team in the league.”

Defense on both sides was very strong as neither team scored in the first two innings. Kennebunk put two runs on the scoreboard in the third inning, but Windham only used this as motivation.

In the fourth inning, Windham junior Cayden McCartney singled; pinch runner senior Owen Dakin took his place at first base. Sophomore Wyatt Washburn ripped a ground ball to center field. Junior Joshua Plummer reached first base on an error and Dakin scored.

In the fifth inning, Windham junior Grant Coppi singled. Senior Login Desrochers reached first after hitting a ground ball driving in Coppi and the game was tied, 2-2.

“This one was absolutely huge for us,” said Desrochers. “We had a good week of practices. Nobody gave up on each other, we believe in each other, and we fought the whole way and came out victorious. Everything went well; we had so much energy, very good in the field, all-around great game from us. Everyone's been practicing hard, working on hitting and we just got it done tonight.”

In the sixth inning, Washburn singled. Plummer grounded out and Washburn made it to third base. A line drive to third base by junior Cameron Davis scored Washburn and Windham led, 3-2.

“The coaches told me to load up early and see it,” said Davis. “Let it come to me and get my hands up to it ... I loaded up early and put it over the third baseman’s head. It felt great to get this win because last year we didn’t do so hot in the first round, but this is the year, feeling good.”

After WHS failed to score in the seventh inning, Windham pitcher Brady Harvie walked a runner. Quick hands by senior catcher Erik Bowen caught the Kennebunk runner headed to second base after Brady struck out the batter. He then induced a ground out and that was it.

“A lot of adrenaline up there on the mound,” said Harvie, who had 10 strikeouts and only walked three. “It’s exciting, a good spot to be in. I had a little extra drive in that [seventh] inning. It’s just a great environment, feels nice to be pitching in a playoff game, [Kennebunk] is definitely a tough team, and we had to battle a lot and work through some tough spots. We got down two runs; usually when that happens, we tend to fall back, but our team kept pushing. I’d say our bats were really what kept us in this game; defense made some great plays and pretty solid game overall.” <

Windham varsity baseball off to a great start in preseason

By Matt Pascarella

On a warm but windy afternoon, the Windham High School varsity baseball team began their preseason at home with a game against Mount Ararat on Tuesday, April 11. Windham started strong and secured a 5-3 win as they prepare for the start of the regular season later this month.

Windham freshman Wyatt Washburn is shown moments 
before driving the ball to the outfield  during a preseason
game against Mount Ararat in Windham on Tuesday,
April 11. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

“Our hitters’ approaches from the first inning on through the seventh inning was excellent,” said Windham varsity baseball coach Chris Doughty. “The two-strike approach was great; they stayed in there, they battled. I ... saw a lot of really good things today. One of the things that stood out the most was when it counted, Windham bared down because they wanted to win. I think it’s going to be a great year.”

In the first inning, Mount Ararat scored on a passed ball.

Windham was quick to answer when junior Brady Harvie singled. Senior Alex “Bob” Wing’s base hit drove in Harvie making it a 1-1 game.

“It was a really good game today,” said Harvie. “I feel like it’s a big confidence booster for the team, first game of the year to go out swing the bats well, pitch pretty well – definitely felt good.”

Harvie said the best part of the game was their bats. He said they hit the ball really well compared to last year; they had some good hits and big moments.

In the second inning, Windham’s defense sent three consecutive batters back to the dugout.

In the fourth inning, Wing singled and so did senior Logan Marden. Freshman Wyatt Washburn’s base hit loaded the bases. After senior Ryan Bernard was thrown out at first, Wing scored. Later in the inning, a passed ball brought Marden across the plate. After four innings, Windham led 3-1.

Wing said he liked how they hit the ball. He liked that the errors were minimal during this game. Windham had a lot of contact, moving people around the bases. He thinks they did very well.

In the fifth inning, Windham junior Login Desrochers singled and so did Harvie. Desrochers advanced to third base and Harvie to second base. A double from Marden and Windham was up by four runs.

“I feel like we had a ton of positivity in the team today,” said Marden. “It’s big coming out first game and getting a win. This just gives us really good momentum for the season; bats were really hot today and we did really solid in the field with minimal errors – it’s a great way to start the season.”

Mount Ararat was able to knock in a couple more runs in the sixth inning but couldn’t get much further ahead of the Eagle’s defense.<

Windham High varsity baseball welcomes new coach

By Matt Pascarella

When Windham High School’s varsity baseball team begins their season in a couple weeks, they will have a new head coach in Chris Doughty. Much of his experience comes from when he played baseball for St. Joseph’s College, but he first began coaching when his children started playing youth sports. Since then, Doughty’s also coached baseball, soccer, football, and basketball.

Windham High School's new varsity baseball
coach is Chris Doughty, who played the sport
in college for St. Joseph's College.
SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Sports have always been a part of who Doughty is as a person. He played football, basketball and baseball at a young age and continued through high school.

“I consider myself very lucky for having so many great coaches throughout my athletic career,” said Doughty. “Coaching is about so much more than wins and losses, and I was fortunate enough to have people in my corner who cared about me as much as a person as they did as a player.”

Doughty’s father got him interested in baseball. Every night, his father would come home from work and Doughty would be waiting for him. They would either go to the field for batting practice or just go out in the yard and hit fly balls or field ground balls. The support Doughty received from his father and mother helped him to be successful on and off the field.

As a kid who grew up in Westbrook and later moved to Windham, Doughty said playing Little League with his supportive group of friends made it feel like the big leagues. After high school Doughty continued to play while he was majoring in business at St. Joseph’s College, where he had some very successful seasons.

“Chris was an outstanding player for us,” said Doughty’s former St. Joseph’s College baseball coach, Will Sanborn. “Chris is a smart guy who knows the game and has a passion for it. He works hard and has great leadership qualities that I feel will make him an excellent coach; I know guys will enjoy playing for him.”

Throughout his athletic career, Doughty said that he has had several great coaches who have helped him mature as an athlete and person. He said their guidance has left a meaningful mark on who he is today. For Doughty, being able to give back to the community through coaching while also having the opportunity to provide the same guidance to players is very important to him.

The varsity team is very lucky to have a dedicated coaching staff in addition to Doughty. It consists of Anthony D’alfonso, Cody Dube, Rob Hamilton, and Adam Kalakowsky. So many baseball minds committed to the team is a giant benefit to the program.

“I am very excited about the addition of Chris Doughty as the new varsity coach,” said Windham Junior Varsity baseball coach Kalakowsky. “Chris seems like a great leader with a passion for the game. His past baseball playing experience, focus on fitness/training, knowledge of the game and enthusiasm for the sport make for a great addition. With this coaching staff, great returning players, and a talented group of incoming freshmen, I believe Windham will be a very competitive team.”

Coaching at the youth level has taught Doughty a lot about patience and organization. These experiences coupled with his baseball background, knowledge and drive for competition will be very valuable.

For Doughty, seeing the improvement from the beginning of the season to the end is his favorite part. When he sees a player grasp a concept and become able to apply it successfully, it is very rewarding. Doughty loves to see his players have fun on the field.

Doughty says that his goal for the season is to put a team on the field each day that is respectful, disciplined, and skilled. The team’s ultimate goal is a state championship win, but along the way he would like to help these young men gain a further understanding of what it means to be a good teammate, classmate, son, brother, and friend.

At the end of the day, it’s a game and it’s supposed to be fun.

He’s a second-generation owner of a State Farm Insurance Agency in Westbrook with a new location in Windham. Doughty is married with two children, and they have a Bernese Mountain dog. In Doughty’s free time, he likes to ski with his family and friends, golf and spend time on the lake. <

Windham varsity baseball prevents Bonny Eagle shutout

Windham High junior Ethan Barker runs to first base after 
driving the ball to the outfield during a prep baseball game
against Bonny Eagle at Windham High School on Tuesday,
May 24. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

By Matt Pascarella

Windham varsity baseball prevented a shutout by Bonny Eagle on Tuesday, May 24 at Windham when they scored in the bottom of the third inning.

After two scoreless innings, Bonny Eagle scored several runs in the top of the third inning.

Unfortunately, the Scots scored three more runs before the end of the game and got an 8-1 win.

“It’s rough,” said Windham junior Blake Peeples who was on the mound for a little over six innings. “I thought we had them in the first inning and second, but then we just kept making errors. We lasted the whole game, so we’ll get credit for that.”

Peeples said communication went well. He added the team can improve for next game by working harder, staying together ... and just play the game of baseball.

The Scots got things going with a double and then a runner was hit by the pitch. Windham was able to end the inning with two runners on base and one in scoring position.

In the top of the third inning, Bonny Eagle knocked in five runs.

Windham junior Ethan Barker singled on a line drive to right field. Junior Ryan Bernard walked. Sophomore Login Desrochers singled on a ground ball to the shortstop. This brought in Barker. It’s now 5-1, Bonny Eagle.

“I think we played pretty good defense in the outfield, we got the ball in quick,” said Barker. “And we were swinging [the bats] a lot more.”

Barker said he thought they stuck together as a team and did not get down on themselves.

Bonny Eagle scored one run in the fourth inning.

In the seventh inning, Windham picked a runner off at first base who was caught in a pickle. Windham also stopped a runner at home. Despite this, Bonny Eagle scored two runs.

Windham varsity baseball coach Cody Dube said this was one of the best opposing pitchers they’ve seen this season. He worked quick, threw strikes, and got after Windham. Dube said it’s tough when you have a pitcher in a groove like that.

He pointed out that the Eagles are making similar mistakes on defense they have all year; instinctual things like not knowing ahead of time where the ball needs to go. He said more reps and situational awareness and things will start to come together.

Dube said that Blake did a nice job on the mound, and got a lot of weak contact, which made his batters look uncomfortable. Windham also had good outfield play. <

Windham varsity baseball exhibits good energy in season opener

By Matt Pascarella

Windham senior Brady Afthim meets his teammates
at home plate after hitting a home run in the bottom 
of the first inning during Windham's home opener
against Biddeford on Friday, April 23. The game
was tied in the top of the seventh inning before
Biddeford was able to pull ahead to win, 8-6.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

In their first game of the spring season, the Windham varsity baseball team took on Biddeford, at Windham on Friday, April 23 and started strong against the Tigers and battled inning after inning to keep the game close. Ultimately Biddeford managed to get by and won 8-6.

Senior Brady Afthim got things going for the Eagles in the bottom of the first when he sent the ball over the fence of left-center field to give Windham a 1-0 lead.

Biddeford answered and tied the game in the top of the second and took a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the second, Windham junior Colby Raynor doubled. After a base hit, senior Ryan Silva made it to third after a passed ball; this brought in two runs. Freshman Login Desrochers brought in Silva; 4-2, Windham.

Biddeford tied the game at four in the top of the third.

Windham got things going again in the bottom of the fourth, when senior Jayson Plummer singled. Desrochers singled, as did Afthim. Windham had loaded the bases. Sophomore Alex Wing steps up to the plate and brought in Plummer and Desrochers making it, 6-4, Windham.

“Overall, (the team did) pretty solid,” said Afthim. “There were a couple mistakes here and there. It’s a pretty solid foundation to go off. I think we did pretty good for the first game out here.”

In the top of the fifth inning, Biddeford had loaded the bases. Afthim had been on the mound all game and held off any runners from making it to home plate by striking out three consecutive batters and ended Biddeford’s inning with the bases loaded.

In the top of the seventh, a triple from Biddeford tied the game at six. The Tigers scored two more runs before the inning was over.

“That was a game of the team that made the least mistakes was going to win,” said Windham coach, Cody Dube. “We battled, we had good momentum, good energy, good at-bats, which is nice to see early on.” <