Cony High School pitchers Payton Kennison and Mitchell Bonenfant didn’t fall out of the sky this season, it just seems that way.
Neither senior played for the Rams last season. Bonenfant hadn’t played since his freshman season and Kennison spent the last three years at Spruce Mountain before transferring to Cony.
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WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
• Hall-Dale senior Taylor Lockhart pitched a complete game and added two doubles and three RBIs in a win against Boothbay.
• Oak Hill sophomore Dalton Therrien singled four times and tripled in a win over Mt. Abram.
• Oak Hill sophomore Jonah Martin pitched a four-hitter and belted two triples in a win against Mt. Abram.
• Winthrop junior Ben Allen picked up pitching wins against Mt. Abram and St. Dominic, collecting two hits in each game.
• Cony junior Tayler Carrier homered in a loss to Lawrence and a win over Skowhegan.
• Monmouth senior Brandon Goff singled three times and doubled in a win against Oak Hill.
• Richmond sophomore Mike Stewart pitched his second no-hitter of the season, beating Forest Hills while striking out 10.
• Richmond junor Bailey Johansen belted a grand slam, doubled and tripled in a pair of wins.
• Richmond sophomore Tyler Soucy collected four hits and drove in five runs in a win over Greater Portland Christian.
• Maranacook senior Skylar Webb had three hits and three RBIs against Belfast to help the Black Bears clinch a playoff berth.
“I definitely think our season would have been totally different without them,” catcher Tayler Carrier said. “Not just pitching but at the plate and in the field.”
The Rams finished the regular season at 9-7, winning seven of their last eight games, to place fourth in Eastern Maine Class A. They’ll host a quarterfinal game against Mt. Blue on Thursday and it’s a safe bet Kennison or Bonenfant will get the starting pitching assignment.
Kennison, Spruce Mountain’s ace last season, didn’t take long to fit in. He had talked to Carrier during the winter about going out for the team and his transition to a new school — he arrived in February — was seamless.
“It honestly didn’t take a long time,” Kennison said. “They just accepted me for who I was.”
Not only was Kennison accepted, he was also recently voted Player of the Year by his teammates.
“I wasn’t expecting it, but it was a great feeling,” he said.
After an 0-2 start, Kennison finished the season at 5-2 with an earned run average of 1.39. He allowed 18 hits in 41 innings while striking 54 and walking 17. His no-hitter against Brewer was the first win of the season for the Rams and helped turn things around.
“He came one pitch away from a perfect game when he hit a batter,” Cony coach Don Plourde said. “He threw 68 pitches and I think they fouled off something like four balls.”
Kennison also struck out 15 batters that day.
Bonenfant knew his teammates when he arrived. He had played basketball and football with many of them and they encouraged him to try baseball again. So did his parents.
“My parents were a little upset last year when I played lacrosse instead of baseball,” he said. “They kind of pushed me to it and I’m glad they did.”
It took awhile for Bonenfant’s arm to get to full strength, but since he has, he’s been one of the better pitchers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference. He’s less of a strikeout pitcher than Kennison, notching 23 in 34 innings, but he’s been just as effective. Opponents are hitting 0.90 against him and he has an ERA of 1.42.
“He hasn’t pitched in three years,” Carrier said. “I was really impressed he came on as strong as he did.”
In his first start of the season, against Skowhegan, Bonenfant pitched a two-hitter and lost 3-1 on a three-run error. Plourde said he was unfazed.
“He really didn’t have much reaction,” Plourde said. “He’s always been very supportive and has been able to shake things off.”
Bonenfant went 2-2 during the regular season and unlike Kennison, he’s more of a ground ball pitcher.
“Both of them throw two-seam fastballs,” Plourde said. “Payton’s a little more three quarter, Mitchell a little more over the top. Mitchell probably has a little bit better breaking ball. They both do a great job getting ahead of the hitters.”
Plourde called Bonenfant up to the varsity his freshman year, then as a sophomore he came out for pitchers and catchers before deciding not to play.
“I knew he had a strong arm,” Plourde said. “His body kind of caught up with his arm. I didn’t think he’d help us as much as he has.”
The two alternated at first base when not on the mound, but have since moved to different positions. Bonenfant plays second base when he doesn’t pitch while Kennison is a designated hitter. Bonenfant came on strong once he secured a position in the field and hit .409 while Kennison had more at-bats and is hitting .250.
Kennison was recruited to play baseball by Husson University, Thomas College and the University of Maine at Farmington, at one point all in the same day, before settling on Thomas where he plans to major in business.
Bonenfant plans to attend the University of Maine to study engineering.
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
Twitter: @GaryHawkinsKJ
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