Pickle balls are training balls that are perforated all the way around and look like oversized practice golf balls. They're a real good training aid. Greg Creek, who will attend the University of Maine next fall on a baseball scholarship, also hits dried beans. It's great for hand-eye coordination. The whole team does that.
Some kids do it with broomsticks.
So far this season, the Black Bears have outscored the opposition 56-8, but the defending Class B state champs should get challenged next week when they play Winslow, Oak Hill and Belfast at home and take on Camden Hills on the road. It's been a tough year for Gardiner boys athletics. Going into Monday's game against Leavitt, juniors Jordan Stebbins and Shawn Cloutier hadn't played on a team that had won a game this school year. That included the football and basketball seasons. But the Tigers turned that around with a 5-1 win over Leavitt.