Alaimo halts Crusaders’ rally> Hermon holds on for 5-3 victory

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BANGOR – Eric Reynolds takes a couple of innings to get warmed up when he’s pitching.

He should be grateful Mark Alaimo doesn’t need that kind of time.

Reynolds held a 5-3 lead against John Bapst with runners on first and second when he left Monday’s schoolboy baseball game with two outs.

Alaimo gave up a single to Derek Damon, loading the bases on the senior lefty’s 2-1 offering to left field. But he got Scott Tremble to ground out to him to stall the Crusaders’ drive.

“I didn’t really snap it off that well, so I wasn’t surprised that he hit it,” Alaimo said of his 1-2 curveball to Tremble. “But I was surprised it came right back at me. It was hit hard back.”

Alaimo’s second save preserved the Hawks’ 5-3 win and boosted Hermon to a 7-3 record. John Bapst fell to 3-5.

Scott Tyree sparked John Bapst’s seventh-inning rally with a single, advanced on a wild pitch and Keith Freeman’s ground-out, before crossing the plate on Mike Brockett’s single.

Reynolds notched a strikeout for the second out, but walked Jeff Millard to put runners at first and second.

Reynolds gave Hermon a solid performance with a good curveball early before going to a strong fastball to strike out nine and walk three in the eight-hitter.

“The biggest thing I was pleased with him was his walk ratio was considerably down from his last outing – he walked 10 against Orono,” Hermon coach David Morris said. “Any time our pitchers throw less than five walks, we’re in a good situation.”

While Hermon played nearly flawless defense, the Hawks capitalized on the Crusaders’ errors to pick up four unearned runs.

Holding a 2-1 lead behind Joel Perry’s two-run double with two outs in the third, the Crusaders stumbled in the fifth with three errors.

Third baseman Dave Raczek overthrew first on Adam Hunt’s grounder and Mark Alaimo’s one-out fly was bobbled by center fielder Tremble to put runners on first and third.

Raczek stopped Justin Penny’s grounder on the third base line, but couldn’t get a throw off, loading the bases. Sean Smith’s fielder’s choice plated Hunt, but cut down Penny at second for the second out.

Alaimo scored on Jemeine Chambers’ line drive to center, and designated hitter Scott Potter smoked a grounder through the middle to bring in Smith for the game winner.

Smith put up the insurance run in the seventh with a perfect bunt that stopped dead on the edge of the infield grass to bring home Alaimo, who led off the inning with a single and advanced to third on two wild pitches by reliever Billy Ford.

The Crusaders ruined several early scoring attempts by the Hawks with heads-up play.

Catcher Nate Waring gunned down Hunt in the second, the first of two, and Tremble made a shoestring catch on an Alaimo fly ball and nailed John Schoppe at second base for the double play that inning.

But the Crusaders left five of six baserunners in scoring position in falling to the loss.

Chambers singled three times and drove in two runs for the Hawks. Schoppe doubled and singled, Potter whacked a pair of RBI singles, and Alaimo had two singles.

Damon, who gave up no earned runs out of four in 4 2/3 innings, led Bapst with two singles.

Hawks 5, Crusaders 3

Hermon (7-3) John Bapst (3-5)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Hunt, ss 3 1 0 0 Millard, ss 2 0 1 0

Schoppe, 2b 4 0 2 0 Damon, p-2b 4 0 2 0

Alaimo, cf-p 4 2 2 0 a-Fisher 0 1 0 0

Penny, c 4 1 0 0 Tremble, cf 2 1 1 0

Smith, 1b 4 1 1 1 Perry, 1b 3 0 1 2

Chambers, 3b 3 0 3 2 Waring, c 3 0 1 0

Potter, dh 4 0 2 2 Hyatt, dh 2 0 0 0

C.Rynlds,rf-cf 0 0 0 0 Mallar, 2b 0 0 0 0

E.Rynlds,p-lf 3 0 0 0 Tyree, rf 1 1 1 0

Swoboda, lf-rf 2 0 0 0 Raczek, 3b 2 0 0 0

b-Redman 1 0 0 0 Freeman, 3b 1 0 0 0

Brockett, lf 3 0 2 1

Ford, rf-p 3 0 0 0

Totals 32 5 10 5 Totals 26 3 9 3

a-ran for Damon in third

b-grounded out to pitcher for Swoboda in sixth

Hermon 000 130 1 – 5

John Bapst 002 000 1 – 3

E – Millard, Tremble, Raczek 3 2B – Schoppe; Perry, Brockett LOB – Hermon 7, John Bapst 6 DP – Hunt to Smith, Hunt to Schoppe to Smith; Tremble to Mallar SB – Damon

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Hermon

Reynolds (W,2-1) 6 2/3 8 3 3 3 9

Alaimo (S,2) 1/3 1 0 0 0 0

John Bapst

Damon (L,1-1) 4 2/3 6 4 0 0 1

Ford 2 1/3 4 1 1 1 3

HBP – Hunt WP – Reynolds; Damon, Ford 2 TIME – 1:56 ATTENDANCE – 40