Lineup changes fail to stop Bucks vs. Bapst

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BANGOR – Bucksport High School junior righthander Adam Sheehan didn’t know he was going to start Friday night’s game against John Bapst until Bucks coach Dave Gonyar told him earlier in the day.

“The last time I started a game was in junior high, probably,” said Sheehan. “I usually come in every other game for an inning or two.”

Sheehan turned in a masterful four-hit complete game, striking out 11 and walking six, and senior shortstop Jason Harvey tripled, doubled and singled for three RBIs as the Bucks triumphed 7-3 at Mansfield Stadium.

Sheehan, who featured a nasty overhand curve, a sweeping three-quarter arm slider and a live fastball, blanked the Crusaders through six innings and improved his record to 2-0. He threw 125 pitches, 72 for strikes.

“We faced maybe the kid who has pitched the best against us this year. He threw strikes, he got ahead in the count. He mixed in both the overhand curveball and the sidearm curveball and when he got ahead in the count, he put us away. He did a tremendous job,” said John Bapst coach Jay Kemble.

John Bapst first baseman Zev Myerowitz said, “He kept us off balance, he hit his spots and he did what he had to do.”

Sheehan said “I tried to mix in the curveball and I came across with my slider which is what I usually use with two strikes and it seemed to work fairly well. And I just tried to sneak by some fastballs.

“I had faith in my defense. They’re a great bunch of guys. They know how to play defense.”

Chris McHale was going to pitch, but ended up at catcher after Gonyar was forced to change his lineup when a player became ineligible for violating school rules.

A five-run third inning supplied Sheehan with all the offense he was to need.

Jake Knight lined a one-out single to center to start the rally and moved to second on a passed ball.

Sheehan blooped a single just over the head of second baseman James Strout and Kyle Mercer walked to load the bases.

Harvey lofted an RBI double into short right field and a botched rundown allowed another run to score. Abram Allard then ripped a two-run double to right center.

“I struck out in my first at-bat and I had to get that out of my mind and refocus. He [losing pitcher Cole McElwain] threw me a changeup and I was all over it,” said Allard, whose hit chased McElwain in favor of Keith Nason.

McHale greeted him with a soft RBI single to right.

Harvey drove in two unearned runs off Nason in the fourth when he scorched a two-run triple over center fielder Bryan Snyder’s head.

“We had three or four good rips early in the game and that set the tone for us,” said Harvey.

Bapst ruined Sheehan’s shutout bid in the seventh on two walks, a dropped fly ball, Andy Tremble’s sacrifice fly and Myerowitz’s booming two-run triple to center.

Bucksport improved to 13-2 with its fifth straight win after a May 9 10-8, eight-inning loss to John Bapst, which is now 10-5-1. McHale tripled and singled to complement Harvey and Knight singled twice.

BUCKS 7, CRUSADERS 3

Bucksport (13-2) John Bapst (10-5-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Sheehan, p 4 1 1 1 Strout, 2b-p 3 0 0

Mercer, lf 3 2 1 0 Tremble, 3b 2 0 0

J. Harvey, ss 4 1 3 3 Z. Means, ss 4 0

Allard, 2b 4 1 1 2 Myerowitz, 1b 3 0 2

McHale, c 3 0 2 1 Chapman, dh 4 0 0

Chase, cf 4 0 0 0 A. Means, 2b 1 0 0

Sullivan, 1b 3 0 0 0 Healy, rf 2 0 0

Hopkins, 3b 4 0 0 0 Brown, rf 0 0 0

Knight, rf 3 2 2 0 Jellison, lf 2 0 0

Snyder, cf 2 1 0 0

Keefe, c 2 0 0 0

a-Rand 0 1 0 0

b-Baillargeon 1 1 0 0

Totals 32 7 10 7 Totals 28 3 4 2

a- walked for Keefe in 7th inning; b- reached on error for Strout in 7th inning

Bucksport 005 200 0 ? 7

John Bapst 000 000 3 ? 3

E? Chase; Strout, Nason LOB? Bucksport 7, John Bapst 8; 2B? J. Harvey; 3B? J. Harvey, Allard, McHale, Myerowitz; DP? Allard to Sullivan; SF? Tremble; SB? McHale 2, Strout, Snyder

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Sheehan (W, 2-0) 7 4 3 2 6 11

John Bapst IP H R ER BB SO

McElwain (L, 1-3) 2 1/3 5 5 4 1 3

Nason 3 1/3 4 2 0 1 3

Strout 1 1/3 1 0 0 1 1

WP? Sheehan 2; PB? McHale 3, Keefe; T? 2:15; ATT? 90 (est.)