Falcon rally in 7th sinks Comrades Barrett, squeeze play keys to Brewer victory

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BANGOR – Down 2-0 in the first inning, the Brewer Falcons refused to worry.

When the score turned into a 4-1 deficit in the sixth, they still didn’t get too nervous. Even though they had just one more at-bat to tie it up, it didn’t bother them.

Why so calm?

“I think our lineup is the best in Zone 1, so we know we just have to keep the score respectable and the bats will come through eventually,” said Brewer starter Kyle Dalton.

Dalton (2-0, five hits in six innings) admittedly struggled with less-than-solid stuff Monday night, but his confidence in his teammates was rewarded.

The Falcons exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh and rallied for a 7-4 American Legion baseball win over Bangor on a warm, humid, overcast night at Mansfield Stadium.

Joel Barrett led first-place Brewer to its 12th victory in 13 games and second in two games over second-place Bangor by going 3-for-4 with a home run, two singles, and two RBIs.

The Falcons got four of their nine total hits in the seventh and took advantage of three errors plus a costly mental miscue by the Comrades, now 10-4.

“The key was those seven outs we gave them in the last inning,” said Bangor coach Jay Kemble. “We had three balls back up the middle we didn’t get outs on. When you play good teams with lineups like theirs, you can’t have mental lapses.”

Barrett’s 385-foot solo homer to left-center accounted for Brewer’s only run before the Bangor meltdown.

Bangor plated two in the first on Andy Treadwell’s two-run single to left-center with one out. The Comrades added two more in the sixth on a one-out walk, Zev Myerowitz’s two-out RBI triple to right-center, and a fielding error.

The seventh started innocently enough with a groundout, but three straight errors on ground balls left the bases loaded before Jason Harvey’s single to right on a first-pitch fastball scored two. Barrett followed with a game-tying RBI single on a bad-hop rocket through third base.

The go-ahead run came courtesy of a suicide squeeze play as Abram Allard laid down a perfect bunt and Barrett raced home. Allard turned it into a single and, after noticing the pitcher was still holding the ball and not looking over, advanced to second. A groundout later, Shawn Sutherland iced it with a two-run single to right-center.

“With the lineup we have, it’s only a matter of time,” said Barrett. “If someone doesn’t, hit, others pick him up.”

Dalton threw 80 pitches while Bangor’s Josh Young (2-2) took the tough-luck loss despite a nine-strikeout, one-walk effort through 6 1/3 innings.

FALCONS 7, COMRADES 4

Brewer (12-1) Bangor (10-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Sheehan, 3b-p 4 1 0 0 Hall, ss 4 0

Harvey, ss 4 1 1 2 Proctor, rf 4 1 0

Barrett, 1b 4 2 3 2 Tremble, 3b 3 1 0

Allard, 2b 4 1 2 1 Sullivan, dh-p 3 1 0

Sullivan, dh 4 0 1 0 Treadwell, lf 2 0 2

Dalton, p 0 0 0 0 Myerowitz, 1b 3 1 1

Moran, lf 0 0 0 0 Worster, c 3 0 0

Sutherland, rf 4 0 2 2 Dennis, 2b 2 0

McHale, c 3 0 0 0 a-Cayford 1 0 0

b-Wentworth 1 0 0 0 Jellison, cf 2 0 0

Libby, lf 2 0 0 0

Bzan-Kalstn,lf-3b 1 1 0 0

Mercer, cf 2 1 0 0

Totals 33 7 9 7 Totals 27 4 7 3

a-doubled for Dennis in fifth, b-grounded out for McHale in seventh

Brewer 000 100 6 ? 7

Bangor 200 002 0 ? 4

E?Sheehan; Hall 2, Young, Dennis; LOB?Brewer 7; Bangor 6; 2B?Cayford; 3B?Myerowitz; HR?Barrett (5); DP?Sheehan-Allard-Barrett; Hall-Myerowitz; S?Jellison; SB?Allard 2, Mercer 2, Barrett; Proctor, Worster

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Dalton (W, 2-0) 6 5 4 3 3 1

Sheehan (S, 3) 1 2 0 0 0 0

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Young (L, 2-2) 6 1/3 6 5 1 1 9

Sullivan 2/3 3 2 0 0 0

WP?Dalton 2; T?1:58; ATT?120