Nova Seafood ends Bangor’s season

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AUGUSTA – In their seven previous losses this season, defensive lapses were a big factor for the Bangor Comrades.

On Tuesday afternoon at McGuire Field, defensive lapses were THE factor for Bangor as defending champ Nova Seafood of Portland scored eight unearned runs in a 9-1 victory over the Comrades at the American Legion State Tournament.

Zone 1’s Comrades have been eliminated from the tournament field with a 22-8 record while 27-2 Nova will play fellow Zone 4 team Coastal Athletics of South Portland for the state title at noon Wednesday. Coastal eliminated Cole Farms of Gray 7-4 earlier Tuesday. Coastal must beat Nova twice to win the title.

“We said coming in that we needed to pitch and play defense,” said Bangor coach Jay Kemble. “You can hold teams down that way and find ways to score runs, but against a team like this, you can’t afford to make mistakes. We gave them too many opportunities with extra outs.”

While Bangor struggled in the field, Nova was excelling with just one error and four double plays. Bangor committed seven errors and turned just one twin killing.

Ironically, Bangor outhit Nova 8-6.

Nova twice scored two runs in an inning without the benefit of a hit, thanks to walk, an error, a stolen base, and a hit batter in the fourth; and two errors, a walk, and a double steal in the seventh.

The defensive letdown blemished a solid outing by Bangor starter Josh Heath, who used offspeed stuff and good location to limit a potent, fastball-hitting Nova lineup to four hits through the first five innings and twice closed out innings by leaving a Nova base runner stranded at third.

“I think he realized today he can pitch against good teams,” Kemble said. “He kept them off-balance. If we’d made plays behind him, we’re in the game.”

All six runs scored on Heath were unearned as he scattered five hits, walked one, and struck out two in 5 2/3 innings.

“I was just trying to throw offspeed stuff and keep it away, but occasionally bring it inside tight so they’d have trouble pulling it,” said Heath. “I can’t help what goes on out in the field, but I guess today just wasn’t our day.”

Center fielder Donny Drake led Nova’s offense with two singles.

“He hat a pretty good curveball and he mixed up his pitches pretty good,” Drake said. “We were pretty loose because we were ripping the ball, but it was going right at people. Once the ice broke a bit, we got a little looser and then we started scoring runs.”

Nova starter Jeff Skillin (6-0) notched the win with 5 1/3 innings of six-hit shutout ball.

“I just wanted to throw strikes and try to work the corners so I could use my curveball more effectively,” said Skillin, who had three walks and one strikeout. “The big thing was taking advantage of errors whenever they make them.”

After Bangor put runners at first and second with one out in the sixth, Scott Brown relieved Skillin and got the next two outs on a strikeout and fielder’s choice grounder.

Bangor scored its lone run in the ninth as Andy Sullivan led off with a single up the middle and Zev Myerowitz finished up a 10-for-16 tourney effort at the plate with an RBI triple to left center.

In the noon game, Greg Norton pitched four innings of scoreless relief to notch the win and also excelled at the plate with a triple, two singles, and an RBI as Coastal outlasted Cole in 10 innings.

Coastal No. 9 hitter Bobby Hood had a double, single and two RBIs while Matt Rutherford singled twice for one RBI.

Shane Corcoran led Cole Farms with a two-run single in the first and later stole home in the inning.

Coastal (24-7) 011 000 020 3 – 7 12 3

Cole Farms (17-11) 300 100 000 0 – 4 4 2

Emmonds, Norton (7) and Rutherford; Huff, Tupper (10) and Yanni

NOVA SEAFOOD 9, COMRADES 1

Bangor (22-8) Nova Seafood (27-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cayford, ss 4 0 0 0 Flaherty, ss 3 1 1

Proctor, rf 3 0 1 0 Drake, cf 4 0 0

Tremble, 3b 3 0 0 0 Brown, 1b-p 5 0 0

Sullivan, lf 3 1 2 0 A.Giobbi, c 3 1 0

Myerowitz, 1b-p 4 0 2 1 Bartlett, c 1 1

Worster, c 3 0 1 0 Reid, rf-1b 5 2 0

Dowe, c 0 0 0 0 Dvilinsky, 2b 3 2 0

Murphy, dh-p 3 0 0 0 Skillin, p-rf 4 1 0

Lane, 1b 1 0 0 0 Esposito, 3b 3 1 0

Hall, 2b 3 0 1 0 Presby, lf 1 1 1

Dennis, 2b 1 0 0 0 Powers, lf 2 0 0

Jellison, cf 3 0 1 0

Totals 31 1 8 1 Totals 34 9 6 3

Bangor 000 000 001 ? 1

Nova Seafood 001 202 21x ? 9

E?Cayford 4, Myerowitz, Murphy, Hall; Flaherty; LOB?Bangor 7; Nova 8; 2B?Flaherty; 3B?Myerowitz; DP?Cayford-Hall-Myerowitz; Skillin-Flaherty-Brown, Flaherty-Dvilinsky-Brown, Esposito-Dvilinsky-Reid, Flaherty-Reid; S?Flaherty; SF?Presby; SB?Myerowitz, Sullivan; Skillin 2, Reid

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Heath (L, 5-2) 5 2/3 5 6 0 1 2

Murphy 1 1/3 0 2 0 1 0

Myerowitz 1 1 1 1 1 0

Nova Seafood IP H R ER BB SO

Skillin (W,6-0) 5 1/3 6 0 0 3 1

Brown (S, 1) 3 2/3 2 1 1 0 4

HBP?Dowe by Brown; Esposito by Heath, Drake by Heath; WP?Heath 2; T?2:29; ATT?118