May 25, 2011
HS notebook: Portsmouth (N.H.) keeps rolling along
After setting national record, Clippers stay focused
by Roger Brown/
There was no letdown for the Portsmouth (N.H.) High School baseball team.
Four days after breaking the national record for consecutive victories, the Clippers extended the program’s winning streak to 77 games by beating rival St. Thomas 6-0 on Monday.
Senior Keegan Taylor held St. Thomas to two hits, struck out nine and walked two.
"The adrenaline definitely kicks in when you're playing St. Thomas," Taylor said. "They really wanted us."
Taylor, who will play for Northeastern next season, raised his varsity record to 21-0.
Monday’s victory improved Portsmouth’s Division II record to 14-0. Portsmouth’s last loss came against Hollis-Brookline in the semifinals of the 2007 Class I tournament. The streak began with a victory over Bedford in the opening game of the 2008 season.
"If there's ever a team that could get our attention back to where it needed to be, it's those guys over there in that dugout," Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. "They want to beat us in the worst way."
It was the second time Portsmouth has beaten St. Thomas this season. The Clippers posted a 4-3 victory in April.
Portsmouth broke the record for consecutive wins by beating Pembroke Academy 10-2 last Thursday. Homer (Mich.) High School set the previous record of 76 consecutive victories in 2005.
“Records are made to be broken,” Homer coach Scott Salow said. “There are no hard feelings. I’m sure they’ll do a good job carrying the torch. This has put Homer baseball back on the front page.”
Connecticut
Although he hasn’t received much run support, Windsor pitcher/shortstop Devin Over is posting some impressive numbers during his senior season.
Over, who has committed to play baseball at the University of Connecticut, is batting .460 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. As a pitcher he’s 4-4 with a 1.33 ERA. He has 69 strikeouts and has walked 28 in 52 innings.
Maine
Foxcroft Academy improved its Western Maine Class C record to 13-0 by beating Dexter 10-0 Monday in a game shortened to five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Sophomore Kaleb Smith held Dexter to four hits in five innings. Foxcroft Academy has posted 28 consecutive regular-season victories.
Massachusetts
Sophomore Brandon Shileikis pitched a perfect game to help Dighton-Rehoboth defeat Wareham 1-0 Sunday.
Shileikis, who throws right-handed, struck out 14 and needed 80 pitches to retire the 21 batters he faced. Dighton-Rehoboth’s only run came when Adam Benvie hit a home run in the third inning.
Rhode Island
North Kingstown, Bishop Hendricken, Lincoln and Cranston West are the top-seeded teams for the four Division I double-elimination regional baseball tournaments that begin Wednesday.
North Kingstown, Bishop Hendricken and Lincoln each won regular season sub-division titles with a 14-4 record. North Kingstown earned the No. 1 seed by winning a tie-breaker. Bishop Hendricken is seeded No. 2 and Lincoln is the No. 3 seed.
Cranston West, which finished second to Bishop Hendricken in Division I-Central with a 13-5 record, earned the No. 4 seed and the other top seed for a regional tournament by winning a tie-breaker against Moses Brown and East Greenwich, which also finished 13-5.
Vermont
Colchester stretched its winning streak to 11 games by posting a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Spaulding last Thursday.
Andrew Cootware won the game when he hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Lakers trailed 4-1 in the seventh, but tied the game on Zach Dandurand’s two-run single.
Colchester improved its Division record to 12-1.
