February 03, 2025
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Biddeford rebounds to nip Skowhegan

AUGUSTA – Biddeford righthander Dave Foran was roughed up by Skowhegan for nine runs through four innings of their State American Legion Tournament winners bracket game here Friday.

But, he kept his composure and when his team battled back from a 9-3 deficit to go ahead 10-9, he hit a seventh-inning single to drive in what proved to be the winning run in their 11-10 win.

“I was really hoping to get a chance to do something,” said Foran, who hurled two-hit, two-run ball from the fifth inning on. “The guys helped me out and I wanted to help them out. It’s a great feeling.”

With the score tied 9-9 in the seventh inning, Shawn Fontaine lined a single to left center to trigger the decisive two-run rally. Jason Lariviere hit a high bouncer that deflected off the glove of leaping third baseman Mark Hreben and rolled into left field for a one-out double.

Reliever and loser Mike Savage, 2-2, was replaced by Nate Jewell and he induced John St. Onge to bounce sharply to shortstop Mark Bulmer, who booted the ball for a run-producing error.

Foran then said he got a “fastball right down the pipe” and grounded a single to center to make it 11-9.

Skowhegan mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh when Garrett Quinn’s single, two walks around a wild pitch and Bulmer’s line drive single to right delivered Quinn. But right fielder Keith Cloutier’s throw to the plate, which rolled the last 30 feet, was in time to nail Hreben, who tried to score from second.

Five walks, three errors, singles by Chad Gilley and Ken Reed and Hreben’s two-run single staked Skowhegan to its 5-1 lead in the first inning.

Biddeford got two runs back off starter Gilley in the third on Lariviere’s single and stolen base, St. Onge’s RBI base hit, an error and Keith Croteau’s RBI single.

Skowhegan got four in the fourth to build the lead to 9-3 on Bulmer’s single and stolen base, a passed ball, Reed’s run-scoring single, a hit batsman, Quinn’s looping two-run single to left and Hreben’s sharp RBI double down the left-field line.

Biddeford got a pair of unearned runs in the fifth on Hreben’s error, a walk, Bulmer’s throwing error and Jon Dion’s RBI single.

They tied it in the sixth on Lariviere’s base hit, a walk, Craig Pendergrass’ RBI single, a catcher’s interference call on Reed and Cloutier’s long two-run double to left center.

“I had watched him (Gilley) in warm-ups and all he was throwing was fastballs,” said Cloutier. “So I sat on the fastball, he threw me one belt-high and I hit it.”

Foran, now 5-3, finished with a nine-hitter with 10 strikeouts and eight walks. He threw 161 pitches, 85 for strikes. He threw 50 in the first inning.

Foran said he thought his team could come back from the 9-3 deficit.

“I knew we weren’t done yet. We’ve been hitting the ball really well,” said Foran.

Biddeford Coach Gerry Billings also believed his team could rally “especially since their kid (Gilley) was having trouble finding the plate. Our kids were selective. Skowhegan also helped us by booting the ball around.”

He added that Foran “really settled down and piched well after the first inning.”

“We should have won,” said Skowhegan Coach Ken Reed. “But you’ve got to give credit to Biddeford. They made every single play they had to and we didn’t quite make them. And they hit the ball.”

Reed also praised Foran for hanging in and going the distance.

“Our defense and pitching weren’t there today,” said Gilley.

Biddeford 11, Skowhegan 10

Biddeford Skowhegan

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Fontaine, rf-lf 5 2 2 0 Ulmer, ss 3 2 1 1

K.M’lton, 1b-3b 6 0 2 0 Gilley,p-rf-3b 4 2 1 0

Lariviere, cf 6 3 3 0 Reed, c 5 2 2 1

St. Onge, c 5 2 1 2 Thebarge, lf 4 1 0 0

Foran, p 6 1 2 1 Lacroix, 2b 4 1 0 0

P’grass,3b-1b 4 1 1 1 Quinn, 1b-p 4 2 2 2

Croteau, ss 4 2 1 1 Hreben, 3b-1b 4 0 2 3

Consalvo, lf 1 0 0 0 Savage, rf-p 3 0 0 0

a-Dion 1 0 1 1 Jewell, p 1 0 0 0

b-Peloquin 0 0 0 0 Nichols, rf 1 0 0 0

Cloutier, lf-rf 2 0 1 2 Fitzpatrick,cf 2 0 0 0

Buckley, 2b 2 0 0 0

Totals 42 11 14 8 Totals 35 10 8 7

a-singled for Consalvo in fifth

b-ran for Dion in fifth

Biddeford 102 024 200 – 11

Skowhegan 500 400 200 – 10

E – Foran 2, Buckley 2; Bulmer 2, Lacroix, Hreben 2B – Lariviere; Hreben LOB -Biddeford 16; Skowhegan 7 DP – Bulmer to Lacroix to Hreben; SB – Lariviere; Bulmer 2, Thebarge

Pitching Summary

PITCHER IP H R BB SO

Biddeford

Foran (W,4-3) 9 9 10 8 10

Skowhegan

Gilley 6 9 9 7 3

Savage (L,2-2) 1/3 2 2 0 1

Jewell 2 3 0 1 0

Quinn 2/3 0 0 0 0

HBP – Buckley by Jewell, Lacroix by Foran WP – Foran 2 PB – Reed; St. Onge TIME -3:02


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like