Bangor Blue Ox sweep twinbill from Pioneers> High fashions two-hitter; Spang four-hits Elmira

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ORONO – As they have for much of the first half of their Northeast League season, the Bangor Blue Ox got solid starting pitching Sunday in an afternoon doubleheader against Elmira at Mahaney Diamond.

Unlike many of their previous outings, the Blue Ox never trailed in either game and held on for victories in both.

Bangor’s shaky bullpen was not needed as starting pitchers Andy High and R.J. Spang went the distance in their respective games. Bangor won the first game 3-0 and the second 7-2.

The Blue Ox improve their first-half mark to 20-18 with two more games before the start of the second half. Elmira drops to 17-23.

In game one, Bangor’s High (3-0) put on a pitching clinic and flirted with a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

“It was on my mind when I looked at the scoreboard and saw no hits. It didn’t really bother me until after I gave up the hit,” said the North Carolina native.

No. 7 hitter Ken Norman broke up the no-no by lacing a two-out single down the left-field line, but was thrown out by Angelo “Jello” Cox after trying to stretch it into a double.

“I was just spotting them inside mostly with my fastball and then I could give them a changeup,” said High, who loves pitching in 80-plus-degree weather, like Sunday. “Oh yeah, this is like North Carolina weather right here.”

The 6-foot-4 lefthander fired a two-hitter and issued just one walk with no strikeouts for his second shutout of the season. He lowered his ERA to 2.40.

High also bailed himself out by handling three hard grounders up the middle and throwing out the runners at first.

The Blue Ox got off to an unusually fast start in game one, scoring twice in the first.

Rather than rely on its traditional brand of catch-up ball, Bangor manufactured some early run support for High.

Lonnie Goldberg reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and stole third before Robert “Popeye” Cole walked. A wild pitch by Elmira starter Brian Toronto scored Goldberg and moved Cole to second.

Cole appeared to be caught dead after Toronto stepped off the mound with him caught between second and third. But as Cole slid into third, Toronto’s throw sailed over the third baseman’s head and allowed Cole to score.

Tim Morrow – currently enjoying a 17-game hitting streak – belted Toronto’s first pitch over the right-field fence, just in front of the scoreboard for his eighth home run of the season.

“It was a curveball. I knew he was going to come with a curve so I just sat on it,” said Morrow.

In game two, Spang made only one mistake in the game – a 2-1 fastball that Butch Burrough smacked for a two-run homer in the seventh – but recovered to win his second straight game, thanks to Bangor’s six-run offensive barrage in the sixth inning.

Since reclaiming a spot in the starting rotation two weeks ago after being sent to the bullpen, Spang (3-2) has been outstanding. Adding a slider to his pitching repertoire has paid off handsomely.

The righthander pitched a four-hitter Sunday, striking out five and walking five in seven innings.

“There was always a spot for me in the rotation. It was a matter of me getting comfortable,” said Spang. “It got me focused again.”

Spang credited Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd for working with him and teaching him to throw an effective slider.

The Ox erupted for six runs on five hits in the sixth.

Three straight singles started the inning and scored a run. One out and a walk later, Carlos Mota, who replaced Steve Puleo at catcher, doubled to deep right to score two more and chase starter James Nelson.

Chris Hummell greeted Elmira reliever Matt Machmer with a sacrifice fly before Jello Cox jumped all over a 3-2 pitch and bashed it over the left-field fence for a two-run shot.

Blue Ox Notes: Bangor will play its second doubleheader in two days Monday at 6 p.m. as it plays a makeup twinbill with Adirondack in Glens Falls, N.Y.

The games start a 10-game road trip for the Ox as they play six with Adirondack and four at Elmira. Bangor returns home for eight games begining July 25.

Team manager Dick Phillips hopes the club’s recent success will carry over into the second half as Bangor’s postseason hopes rest on winning the second half. Albany will likely be the first-half winner and would meet the second-half winner for the league championship.

“Everybody knows what their roles are and we’re looking forward to the start of the the second half,” said Phillips.

“We’re probably going to be the team to beat in the second half. Everybody’s coming around,” said Spang.

Newburgh won the first game of a doubleheader with Albany in a Sunday playoff showdown. With two games left in the first half, Albany holds a 1 1/2-game lead. Any Albany win would clinch the first-half title.

As they retool their roster for the second half, the Blue Ox released reliever Darin Dabalack Sunday. Dabalack was 3-2 with a 5.68 ERA and one save. His spot on the pitching staff will be taken by newly-signed Scott Chesmer from Eastern Connecticut State University.

Blue Ox 3, Pioneers 0

(First Game)

Elmira Bangor

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Kent, 2b 3 0 0 0 Cox, lf 3 0 2 0

Jemison, 3b 2 0 0 0 Goldberg, ss 3 1 0 0

Bifone, 1b 3 0 0 0 Cole, rf 2 1 0 0

Marchan, lf 3 0 0 0 Morrow, dh 3 1 2 1

Burrough, rf 3 0 0 0 Parker, 1b 3 0 0 0

Moeglin, ss 3 0 0 0 White, cf 3 0 1 0

Norman, cf 2 0 1 0 Quaintance, 3b 2 0 0 0

Wouten, dh 2 0 1 0 Mota, c 3 0 0 0

Thomas, c 2 0 0 0 Delnoce, 2b 1 0 0 0

Totals 23 0 2 0 Totals 23 3 5 1

Elmira 000 000 0 – 0

Bangor 201 000 x – 3

E – Toronto; Quaintance 2B – White HR – Morrow (8) LOB – Elmira 3, Bangor 5 SB – Goldberg 2, Cole

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Elmira

Toronto (L, 1-4) 6 5 3 2 2 1

Bangor

High (W, 3-0) 7 2 0 0 1 0

TIME – 1:42

Blue Ox 7, Pioneers 2

(Second Game)

Elmira (19-18) Bangor (17-21)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Mitchell, lf 3 0 0 0 Cox, lf 4 1 2 2

Jemison, 3b 2 0 0 0 Goldberg, 2b 3 0 1 0

Bifone, dh 3 0 0 0 Cole, rf 4 1 2 0

Marchan, cf 2 0 1 0 Morrow, dh 3 0 1 0

Bellagamba, c 3 0 0 0 a-Delnoce 0 1 0 0

Bennett 2 1 1 0 Parker, 1b 3 1 2 1

Burrough, rf 2 1 2 2 White, cf 2 1 1 0

Hage, ss 3 0 0 0 Quaintance, 3b 1 1 0 0

French, 2b 3 0 0 0 Puleo, c 2 0 0 0

Mota, c 1 1 1 2

Hummell, ss 2 0 1 2

Totals 23 2 4 2 Totals 25 7 11 7

a-ran for Morrow in 6th

Elmira 000 000 2 – 2

Bangor 000 001 6 – 7

2B – Mota HR – Burrough (8); Cox (4) LOB – Elmira 5, Bangor 5 DP – Hummell to Parker SB – Mitchell; Goldberg S – Quaintance, White SF – Hummell

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Elmira

Nelson (L, 3-4) 5 1/3 10 6 6 1 2

Machmer 2/3 1 1 1 1 0

Bangor

Spang (W, 3-2) 7 4 2 2 5 5

TIME – 1:44 ATTENDANCE – 728