Coastal tips Comrades in 11 innings Young shines in defeat with complete-game effort

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AUGUSTA – Key moment in this game? There were too many to count.

One of the more dramatic, well-played, back-and-forth baseball games of the spring and summer went to Coastal Athletics as the South Portland team edged Bangor 5-4 in a classic, 11-inning winner’s bracket matchup in the American Legion State Tournament Sunday at McGuire Field.

The last of those key moments came with a runner at third and no outs in the bottom of the 11th. Just an inning earlier, Coastal had a runner at third with one out and blew a chance to win as Bangor took a huge gamble and won.

This time, however, No. 7 hitter Sean Gillespie whacked a 2-1 fastball about 375 feet to the left-center field fence to score Scott Guillerault with the winning run.

“I was actually expecting a curve,” admitted Gillespie, who led Coastal with three hits and two RBIs. “I was kind of hoping for one, but I got fastball and I was able to jump on it after choking up a little bit.”

The hit spoiled a brilliant and gutsy effort by Bangor righthander Josh Young. Despite pitching all 11 innings and throwing 165 pitches, he got visibly stronger as the game wore on.

“I just had to pull out a big pitch here and there,” said Young, who struck out eight batters and walked six. “If I didn’t, I could go to the bench, but I preferred to stay in there and finish it up.”

The win puts 23-6 Coastal in a 4 p.m. winners bracket game against fellow Zone 4 team Nova Seafood of Portland Monday at McGuire. The 20-8 Comrades will take on 20-6 New Auburn in a 2 p.m. elimination game at Morton Field.

Catcher Matt Rutherford, who also led Coastal’s 15-hit attack with three singles and an RBI, was a central figure in Bangor’s 10th-inning gamble.

After Young retired the leadoff hitter on a groundout, leadoff man Jeff Ghiloni lined a shot through the gap in right center that rolled to the track for a triple. Bangor coach Jay Kemble then called timeout, huddled with Young and his infielders and told them to intentionally walk the bases loaded.

“When coach came out and told me to load the bases, I was like ‘Did I hear you right?’ It probably helped jack us up, but at the time, we didn’t know what he was doing,” said Young.

The first free pass was a no-brainer as it came against Greg Norton, Maine’s Mr. Baseball, one of the most dangerous hitters in the tournament and a University of Maine-bound scholarship player. The second one left Kemble open to questions as it meant Young would face Rutherford, who was 3-for-4 on the day.

The rare call paid off immediately as Rutherford jumped on the first pitch and popped up to shortstop. Young then struck out the No. 5 hitter on three pitches for an escape Houdini would have envied.

“I was a little surprised they walked them loaded, but at the same time, it was a very keen managing move,” said Coastal coach Chris Gillespie. “It was gutsy and well thought out.”

Bangor took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back-to-back hits by Andy Tremble (single), Andy Sullivan (RBI double) and Zev Myerowitz (RBI single), but Coastal chipped for single runs in the first, third, fourth and sixth.

Bangor tied it up dramatically after the first two hitters reached on a single and walk. Pinch-hitter Bill Chapman’s bunt attempt was caught for an out, but then Tyler Jellison walked to load the bases. A pop foul later, Nate Hall delivered a two-run single over second on a 2-1 pitch to tie it up.

Coastal Athletics 5, Comrades 4

(Sunday Afternoon, 11 innings)

Bangor (20-8) Coastal Athletics (23-6)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cayford 5 0 2 0 Ghiloni 5 2 2 0

Proctor 6 0 1 0 Norton 5 0 1 0

Tremble 5 1 1 0 Henrickson 4 2 1

Sullivan 4 1 2 1 Rutherford 5 0 1

Myerowitz 4 1 2 1 Leeman 5 0 0 1

Treadwell 3 0 0 0 Guillerault 5 1 0

Chapman 2 0 0 0 Gillespie 5 0 2

Jellison 2 0 0 0 Needleman 5 0 0

Dowe 3 0 0 0 Hood 5 0 1 0

Worster 2 0 1 0

Dennis 1 0 0 0

Hall 3 0 1 2

Totals 40 4 10 4 Totals 44 5 15 5

Bangor 200 000 002 00 ? 4

Coastal 101 101 000 01 ? 5

E?Dennis 2; LOB?Bangor 10; Coastal 17; 2B?Sullivan; 3B?Ghiloni, Guillerault; DP?Guillerault-Hood-Hendrickson; Hood (una.); SF?Henrickson; SB?Jellison, Worster; Norton, Needleman 2, Hood, Henrickson

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Young (L, 4-3)* 10 15 5 5 6 8

Coastal IP H R ER BB SO

Furbush 8 1/3 7 4 4 5 8

Emmons (W, 5-0) 2 2/3 3 0 0 2 3

* faced two batters in the 11th inning

WP?Young; Furbush; PB?Rutherford; T?2:45; ATT?186