Preble, Skowhegan eliminate Bangor

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BANGOR – Whenever you think of a pitching masterpiece, you usually envision an overpowering performance with double-digit strikeouts.

Skowhegan High School junior lefthander A.J. Preble may have had only five strikeouts in his five-hit 5-1 Eastern Maine Class A Northeast Division semifinal win over Bangor at Mansfield Stadium Friday but his outing certainly ranks as a masterpiece.

Preble didn’t walk anybody, threw 18 first-pitch strikes to the 24 hitters he faced and allowed only seven balls to be hit out of the infield.

He surrendered a triple and four singles.

Fourth seed Skowhegan, 11-7, will visit 15-3 Oxford Hills of South Paris for a crossover semifinal on Saturday. Top seed Bangor finished at 14-4 after being eliminated by the Indians for the second straight year.

“He was the fastest lefty we’ve faced all year,” said Bangor sophomore right fielder Nate Hall.

“He was real good,” concurred Bangor senior shortstop Chris Bombardier. “His fastball tailed away from righthanded hitters. He confused us with it.”

Preble, now 6-2, mixed in a few curves but went mostly with his fastball.

“I tried to keep the ball low and get ahead of the hitters,” said Preble, who considered the outing one of his best this season. “My fastball worked well so I went with it most of the time.”

Skowhegan coach Steve Mayo pointed out that Preble has walked just three hitters all season.

“He’s remarkable,” said Mayo.

Bangor starter Derrick Shain and reliever Josh Heath had control troubles and the Indians capitalized.

After stranding five runners over the first two innings courtesy of four walks and a hit batsman, Skowhegan scored a pair of unearned runs in the third to take a 2-0 lead.

Jeremiah Daigle walked and went to second on a Shain wild pitch.

One out later, Pat Perrault hit a routine grounder to third baseman Kyle Baker. Instead of throwing to first, Baker tried to nail Daigle going back to second but his throw was too late.

Nate Goff walked to load the bases and Josh Morgan grounded to Baker, whose throw to the plate for the forceout hit Daigle in the helmet.

Shain then walked Preble to force in the second run. Heath came on to get an inning-ending double play.

Skowhegan put the game away with three runs in the fourth.

Matt Bolduc lined a double over Hall’s head and, following a sparkling play by Baker, Daigle was issued an intentional walk to set up a force play.

But Jared Walker rifled a single to center to score Bolduc and, a hit batsman and a strikeout later, Morgan lined a two-run single into right center to break the game open.

“He threw me a fastball right down the middle. Since the bases were loaded, I figured he’d be coming with fastballs,” said Morgan, who drove in the winning run in the 6-5 playoff win over Lawrence of Fairfield earlier this week.

“I’m hitting the ball a lot better than I did earlier this season,” said Morgan.

Bangor scored its only run in the fourth on Kevin Proctor’s long triple to right center and Bombardier’s single.

But the Indians turned double plays in the fourth and fifth innings on sharply hit, one-hop grounders right at second baseman Daigle and shortstop Bolduc to thwart any potential rallies.

INDIANS 5, RAMS 1

Skowhegan (11-7) Bangor (14-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Bolduc, ss 4 1 2 0 Hall, rf 3 0 0

Dunlap, c 5 0 0 0 Proctor, lf 3 1 0

Daigle, 2b 1 2 0 0 Bombardier, ss 3 0 1

Walker, 3b 3 1 1 1 Nickerson, cf 3 0 0

Perrault, lf 3 1 0 0 Young, 1b 3 0 0

Goff, rf 2 0 0 0 Shain, p 1 0 0

Morgan, cf 3 0 1 2 Heath, p 0 0 0

Preble, p 1 0 0 1 Fergerson, p 1 0 0

a-Mitchell 1 0 0 0 Clarke, 3b 1 0 0

Hamilton, dh 1 0 0 0 Treadwell, dh-p 2 0 0

Whittemore, dh 1 0 0 0 Baker, 3b 0 0

Brod, 1b 0 0 0 0 Worster, c 2 0 0

N. Larochelle, 2b 1 0 0

Totals 25 5 4 4 Totals 23 1 5 1

a-struck out for Preble in 7th inning

Skowhegan 003 200 0 ? 5

Bangor 000 100 0 ? 1

E?Baker, Goff; LOB?Skowhegan 12, Bangor 2; 2B?Bolduc; 3B?Proctor; DP?Daigle-Bolduc-Brod; Bolduc-Daigle-Brod; Bombardier-N. Larochelle-Young; S?N. Larochelle; SB?Daigle, Goff, Morgan

Skowhegan IP H R ER BB SO

Preble (W, 6-2) 7 5 1 1 0 5

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Shain (L, 4-2) 2 1/3 0 2 0 7 3

Heath 1 2/3 4 3 3 2 2

Fergerson 2 2/3 0 0 0 1 1

Treadwell 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

HBP?Daigle (by Shain), Perrault (by Heath); WP?Shain; T?1:52; ATT?150 (est.)