June 8, 2011
HS notebook: PHS sets national record
by Roger Brown/
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the June 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
It was likely the Portsmouth High School baseball program’s most significant victory that didn’t produce a state championship.
Portsmouth established a national record for consecutive wins by beating Pembroke Academy, 10-2, on May 19. The victory stretched the program’s winning streak to 76 games, one more than the streak Homer (Mich.) High School strung together in 2005 and 2006.
“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.”
Portsmouth hasn’t suffered a loss since the 2007 Class I semifinals. The Clippers have won three consecutive state championships.
Portsmouth pitcher/outfielder Keegan Taylor admitted to feeling a sense of relief. He insisted there was no sense of satisfaction, however.
“It’s definitely, definitely relief,” Taylor said. “It’s always nice to have something off your back, but to me we’re not done. It’s more than just this. Definitely not satisfied yet. We want to be the last team standing.”
Pitcher Ricky Holt and catcher Connor McCauley are the Portsmouth players who made the biggest contributions to Thursday’s win. Holt, a sophomore, pitched a complete game and held Pembroke to five hits. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
“Really happy and excited that we got that record,” Holt said. “Now we can start getting ready for the playoffs. We still have to get better every game and get to our main goal, which is to bring another championship back to Portsmouth.”
McCauley collected four hits, drove in three runs and stole three bases.
“Definitely my best hitting game of the season,” McCauley said. “It’s weird thinking we own a national record. Right now it feels pretty good, but after this weekend we’re gonna start thinking about winning another championship. There’s relief, but we still have work to do.”
McCauley and Taylor are among the five players on this year’s Portsmouth team who also played for the Portsmouth team that reached the 2006 Little League World Series. Shortstop Billy
Hartmann, third baseman Matt Feeney and catcher/designated hitter Conor Trefethen are the others.
Portsmouth’s winning streak began with a victory over Bedford in the opening game of the 2008 season.
“Every day the focus was simply just getting better,” Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. “If we continue to get better, we’re gonna continue to play good baseball. If we get complacent and we stop trying to get better, it’s gonna end in the snap of a finger. It’s the nature of the beast in high school baseball.”
Around high schools
CONNECTICUT
Senior James Cooksey pitched the first no-hitter of his varsity career to help Norwalk defeat Brien McMahon, 6-0, on May 16.
Cooksey, who retired the first 12 batters he faced, struck out eight and allowed one baserunner (walk).
Brien McMahon entered the game with eight victories in its previous nine games.
MAINE
Westbrook left-hander Scott Heath began the season by tossing shutouts in each of his first four starts.
His fourth shutout came May 12, when he held Marshwood to one hit and struck out 10 in Westbrook’s 7-0 triumph. The victory raised Westbrook’s record to 8-0 and seven of those victories have been shutouts.
Heath has committed to play for the University of Maine.
MASSACHUSETTS
Hopkins Academy’s Garrison Banas didn’t beat Pioneer Valley single-handedly, but it was close.
Banas pitched a no-hitter and struck out 17 in his team’s 8-0 victory on May 16. He also assisted on the four other outs, which were groundballs back to the mound.
If not for issuing one walk, Banas, a senior who throws left-handed, would have pitched the second perfect game of his high school career. He threw a perfect game as a junior.
Banas struck out 152 batters and walked 14 in 68⅔ innings as a junior, when he won nine games, saved three others and posted a 0.30 ERA.
Hopkins was 17-3 and earned the No. 3 seed in the 2010 Western Mass. Division 3 tournament.
RHODE ISLAND
Ryan O’Dell collected four hits and drove in five runs to help Lincoln raise its record to 13-3 overall and 12-3 in District-I North by beating Smithfield, 13-3, on May 13.
O’Dell, a pitcher/shortstop, also plays football and hockey for Lincoln. He has committed to play baseball at the University of Rhode Island.
O’Dell was a Second Team All-State selection last season, when he hit .431.
VERMONT
Colchester sophomore Devin Dessormeau made his first varsity hit a timely one.
Dessormeau’s one-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning scored Jared Cayia with the game-winning run in Colchester’s 6-5 triumph over Mount Mansfield on May 12.
It was Colchester’s third extra-inning victory this season and stretched the team’s winning streak to eight games.
Mount Mansfield tied the game by scoring four runs in the top of the seventh, and then took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth. After Ryan Crowley tied the game, Dessormeau delivered a game-winning single.
