YARMOUTH — Junior lefthander Thomas Fortier of Falmouth said he felt nervous before taking the mound against Yarmouth in a Western Maine Conference Class B baseball game Monday.

But if the lanky southpaw had any butterflies, they sure didn’t show. Fortier was in control from the start as he tossed a two-hitter with seven strikeouts as the Yachtsmen took a 5-0 win to improve to 9-0.

Fortier walked only one batter, hit a batter and faced 24 hitters. Falmouth supplanted Greely as the top-ranked team in Western Maine after Saturday’s games. The two unbeatens play Saturday at noon at Falmouth.

Fortier retired the first 10 batters he faced. Eamon Costello broke up the streak in the fourth inning with a bunt single towards third base for Yarmouth’s first hit.

Then Fortier promptly picked him off with Costello getting tagged out at second.

“I thought that was the turning point of the game,” said Falmouth Coach Kevin Winship.

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Bryce Snyder led off the bottom of the seventh for Yarmouth’s other hit.

The Yachtsmen then turned a 4-6-3 double play and Fortier fanned the next batter to end in the game that took only one hour and 28 minutes.

“Thomas was excellent,” said Winship.

“One of their two hits was a bunt. I thought he pounded the strike zone and hits his spots. He threw harder than he has. I was a little concerned at the start because his breaking ball which was up. I thought Yarmouth would wait on his fast ball, but Thomas was blowing it by the bottom of their order,” said Winship.

Fortier said he wasn’t sure how he would do because after throwing in bullpen over the weekend, his arm felt a little tender.

“But once I got into it today, my arm loosened up and I felt fine. Once I heated up I was OK,” he said.

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Fortier’s pregame nerves could have been heightened by his outing here last season.

“I don’t think I got out of the first inning,” he said.

That was a veteran Yarmouth team he faced last year, one that reached the regional final. The Clippers graduated seven starters. They’ve done well to achieve a 6-4 record. The Clippers were a different team last year and Fortier is a much improved pitcher this season.

“Our pitching coach, Craig Pendleton, has worked with Thomas. He’s a lefthander too. Craig has taken Thomas and Addison Foltmer, our other lefty, under his wing. They’re on the same page,” Winship said.

Because Falmouth has a deep pitching staff, it was only Fortier’s second start of the season.

Yarmouth starter Andrew Turcotte got into trouble in the second inning as he walked five batters; Falmouth scored three runs. He walked home a run and Drew Proctor delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded.

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In the third, Falmouth made it 4-0 as Ryan Conley tripled to right center, scoring Nick Spencer. The Yachtsmen scored their final run on Will D’Agostino’s sacrifice fly which scored Zak Lydick.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH

 


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