BASEBALL TEAM BRINGS HOME TA ' S FIRST STATE TITLE
It ’ s hard to believe that in Thornton ’ s long and storied history of sports that our baseball team had never won a state championship . That changed last spring when the 2022 squad capped off a 20 - 1 season with a victory over Bangor in the state title game .
Senior pitcher Cody Bowker picked up the win with four strong innings of relief and also scored the game ’ s only run . Cody was aided with a defensive gem by center fielder Henry Lausier , who made a diving catch on a deep fly ball with two out and a runner on first in the fifth inning . “ All I was trying to do was to not let the man on first base score any way possible . But the ball just stayed up in the air long enough for me to catch it ,” says Henry , now a senior at TA .
This was TA ’ s first trip to the championship game since Maine adopted a statewide playoff format in
1971 . Coach Jason Lariviere says leadership and hard work made the difference this year . “ They always put in the extra work whether that was in the offseason or during the season . They held each other accountable by putting in the work with a ‘ team first ’ mentality .”
Cody , now a freshman at Georgetown University , received the Maine Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year Award . In addition to being an ace on the mound , Cody provided a spark for the offense at the plate , hitting . 490 , with 18 runs batted in and 29 runs scored from the leadoff spot . On the mound , Cody notched a record of 6-0 with two saves . He struck out 74 in 44 innings while walking only six batters and posted an earned run average of 0.48 .
“ Cody is an amazing athlete but an even better leader ,”
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