MONTPELIER – Twinfield-Cabot senior Meles Gouge continued to star for the Montpelier baseball team last week as the Solons won three of four games to take over the top spot in the current Division II standings.
The Solons dominated BFA-Fairfax and Randolph last week before Division III-leading Thetford Academy snapped their eight-game winning streak. Montpelier bounced back over the weekend with a come-from-behind win over Harwood. Gouge went one for four with an RBI as well as a pair of stolen bases to power the Solons past BFA on the road last Monday. Fellow Trojan senior Sam Russell added a hit and a run scored in the lopsided win. Nick Rubin struck out nine Bullets to earn the win on the hill.
Gouge twirled his second complete game gem in two weeks for the Solons on Tuesday, striking out five in a 10-2 home win over Randolph. The multi-sport star helped his own cause with an RBI, three runs scored, and three more stolen bases in the win. Montpelier is loaded at the top with maybe the best pitching rotation in the division, but Gouge’s last two complete games efforts have earned him more time on the bump in recent weeks.
Defending Division III champs Thetford Academy ended the Solons eight game run with an impressive 7-2 home win on Thursday. J.D. Farrell did it all for the Panthers, striking out six in a complete game effort, while going two for three at the plate with an RBI. Thetford sits at 9-2 at the top of the division standings and looks poised to defend their title in June. The Solons bounced back from an early 5-1 deficit against Hardwood at home on Saturday to scrape out an 11-8 victory. Gouge had two more hits, including another swiped base in the win. Brody Stanton was the winning pitcher in three plus innings of relief, striking out four without allowing a run.
Montpelier was back in action on Tuesday at Lamoille, will host Oxbow on Thursday, and is scheduled to travel to Lake Region on Saturday. Twinfield-Cabot’s Thomas Gouge, Eli Russell, and Isidore Hochschild are also on the Solon roster.
Danville’s Cooper Calkins, Sebastian Eldred, and Matthew Young are playing for the Lyndon Institute baseball team this season and sit at the number three spot in the current Division II standings at 7-3. The Vikings blanked Harwood and Lamoille by double digits last week before North Country ended their five-game winning streak over the weekend with a 3-2 home win in extra innings. Eldred had a hit and an RBI in Lyndon’s 11-0 road win over Hardwood on Tuesday. North Country’s Logan Cross went two for five with two runs batted in, including the walk-off game winner in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Falcons to a 3-2 win on Saturday.
The Vikings hosted Oxbow on Tuesday, travel to Hazen on Thursday, and wrap up a busy week with a home game against U-32 on Saturday afternoon.