MONTPELIER – Twinfield-Cabot’s Meles Gouge earned his third straight win on the mound last week to help keep his Montpelier baseball team at the top of the Division II standings with an 11-2 record.
Gouge struck out five and didn’t give up an earned run against Oxbow last Thursday as Montpelier rolled to a 19-9 home win. The multi-sport senior star had to work around some wildness in three plus innings of work, walking four and hitting four Olympians on his way to his third straight win. Beckett Buckley powered the offense, driving in three runs with a three-for-four effort, while Keegan Smith belted a double and drove in four more. Gouge helped his own cause going one-for-three at the plate, scoring twice with a pair of stolen bases. Oxbow’s Alex Daigle suffered the loss in relief, allowing seven runs on seven hits. Montpelier outhit the Olympians 13-4 on the day, dropping them to 2-11.
Smith overpowered Lake Region on Saturday, striking out 10 in just four innings of work in a 12-1 road win. Lucas Alber and Nate Groff combined for five hits, including a pair of home runs that drove in six Solons on the day. Gouge had another hit and tormented the Rangers on the basepaths with four more stolen bases. Twinfield-Cabot teammate Sam Russell scored a run in the win. The loss dropped Lake Region to 5-8 on the year. Thomas Gouge, Eli Russell, and Isidore Hochschild are also on the Montpelier roster this spring for the Trojans. It was the third straight win for Montpelier, keeping them a nose ahead of second-seeded Lyndon Institute. The Vikings handled Hazen and U-32 last week, improving to 10-3 with their fourth straight win. Danville’s Cooper Calkins, Sebastian Eldred, and Matthew Young are playing for Lyndon this season.
With one week remaining in the regular season, the Solons are trying to secure their first number one seed in over five decades and end a 37-year state title drought. Montpelier and the Vikings squared off in a heavyweight matchup on Tuesday that will go a long way in determining the top seed within the division. The home date was also Senior Day for Gouge, Russell, and their teammates. The Solons will wrap up the regular season with a trip to crosstown rival U-32 on Thursday and the Vikings will host Spaulding on Saturday in a final tune up before the postseason.
