St. Dominic beat Machias 3-1 to win the Class D baseball state championship Saturday at Ed Flaherty Field on the campus of the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.
Ashton Hammond was the winning pitcher for St. Dominic, pitching the majority of the game, although he was replaced by Tim Ouellette briefly before Hammon returned in the top of the sixth inning.
Kashman Feeney took the loss for the Machias Bulldogs. Kyle Anderson pitched in relief.
The state championship is the sixth for St. Dominic, who won previous gold gloves as a Class C program in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015. Coach Bob Blackman’s club, the No. 3 seed in Class D South this spring, concluded its season with a 10-8 record.
Machias, which was playing in its second straight state final and seeking its first championship, ended its season with a 16-3 record.
Anderson hit an RBI triple to score in the top of the first inning with two outs to give Machias a 1-0 lead. He was stranded on third base on a called strike.
St. Dominic bunted to get runners on first and third with no outs in the bottom of the first. St. Dominic stole second base for runners on second and third.
Tanner Berry-Hart hit the ball up the middle for a 2 RBI single to give St. Dominic a 2-1 lead that the team would never relinquish. Berry-Hart was picked off at second base to end the inning.
Machias, the No. 4 seed in the final Class D North Heal points, entered the state final with a 12-game winning streak.
Seeded fourth in Class D North, the Bulldogs combined a pitching staff that threw 10 shutouts among its 16 victories with an offense that included five starters batting above .500 and two others topping .400 this spring to earn a return trip to the state final.
The Bulldogs opened regional tournament play with a 16-1 Round of 16 victory over No. 13 Schenck of East Millinocket, then defeated No. 5 Woodland 5-2 in the quarterfinals and top-ranked Wisdom of Saint Agatha 9-5 in the semifinals before earning a return trip to states with an 11-0 victory over No. 2 Stearns of Millinocket in the North final.
St. Dominic’s road to its ninth appearance in a state final in the last 25 years included a regular-season schedule that had just one game against a Class D opponent (Richmond).
The Saints, ranked third in the six-team Class D South entering postseason play, defeated No. 6 Vinalhaven 19-0 in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Richmond in the semifinals before scoring a run in the top of the seventh inning to upend defending state champion and top-ranked Searsport 1-0 in Tuesday’s South title game at USM.
