Jackals rally past Lumberjacks Bangor fades in home opener

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ORONO – Despite overcast skies and a steady rain as game time neared, it was a happy homecoming for the Bangor Lumberjacks Friday night … Well, it was for a couple hours or so anyway.

The Lumberjacks started strong and then fizzled – unlike the 15-minute fireworks show following the game – as they watched a 4-0 Bangor lead in first inning lead wind up as an 8-4 win by the New Jersey Jackals in Bangor’s home opener on the University of Maine campus.

Despite getting swept in a late Thursday doubleheader that lasted 71/2 hours, the Lumberjacks showed no signs of sleep deprivation early as they struck for four runs in the first inning.

That early influx of offense may have been due more to the adrenaline coursing through them as they were welcomed to Mahaney Diamond and cheered on heartily by a crowd of 2,644 fans.

“Yeah, what a great crowd. That was awesome for us after being on the road a week and not getting to play much,” said manager Kash Beauchamp.

Kenichi Miura started things off with a single through the left side and Mo Blakeney then followed him by reaching on an error. A strikeout later, Lorenzo de la Cruz hit a bloop single to load the bases.

Donnie Ross brought home two runs by singling to left. A flyout later, de la Cruz scored on Stephen King’s slow chopper down the third baseline and Ross came in as third baseman Joe Kerrigan’s throw to first on the play was wild and high.

The adrenaline would stop flowing, at least offensively, after the first as the Lumberjacks managed just two more hits (singles in the third and ninth innings) the rest of the game.

“We are a very tired ballclub right now. We got back at 7 this morning and without question, the layoff has hurt our bats more than our pitchers,” Beauchamp said. “I hope that’s what it is anyway, because we have some proven hitters on this team.”

New Jersey got all four runs back in the top of the fourth, courtesy of two Bangor infield errors and three hits, two of them doubles. Of the four runs, only one was earned as third baseman Donnie Ross lost the handle on two infield hits. The big hit of the inning was Craig Conway’s two-run single to center. That chased starter Kevin Pincavitch off the mound as he gave way to Donnie Thomas.

The Jackals took their first lead of the game on Travis Bailey’s 1-out, 340-foot clout of a 3-2 fastball from Thomas over the left field fence in the fifth. They added an insurance run in the seventh, thanks to a two-run triple by Travis Bailey followed by Mike Clendenning’s RBI single off rookie reliever Luke Debold.

New Jersey added two more runs in the eighth. After allowing a leadoff walk and a single, Debold gave way to Matt Tindell, who notched a groundout before Conway scored Kerrigan with a sacrifice fly to left. Leadoff hitter Cedrick Harris then came up with an RBI single to center on a 3-2 pitch.

Bangor made it interesting in the ninth after New Jersey’s Matt Smith retired the first two batters. Brad Hargreaves’ single preceded two straight walks, but a groundout to second by Jude Voltz ended the bases-loaded threat. Voltz had a tough night, going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.

Beauchamp said it’s too early to panic despite his team’s three-game losing streak, but he won’t wait too long to make changes if improvement isn’t made.

“There’s gonna come a time when the weather and the layoff and everything is no longer an excuse,” he said. “But I need to give these guys at least five or six games to get back in the swing.”

GAME NOTES: The game started 54 minutes late due to a rain shower. Gov. John Baldacci started things off with the ceremonial first pitch at 8:04 p.m. Five minutes later, Pincavitch threw the first pitch thrown in a professional baseball game at Mahaney in almost five years for a strike. At 8:14 p.m., Bangor second baseman Todd Brock made a sliding grab of a ball hit to his left side on the edge of the outfield grass and fired a strike to first to rob New Jersey of a hit and end the top of the first.

JACKALS 8, LUMBERJACKS 4

New Jersey (6-2) Bangor (1-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Harris, cf 5 0 1 1 Miura, ss 4 1 0

Blakely, lf 5 0 1 0 Blakeney, cf 4 1 0

Bailey, rf 5 3 2 1 Voltz, 1b 5 0 0

Clendenning, dh 4 1 3 2 de la Cruz, dh 3 0

Pagan, c 4 0 1 0 Ross, 3b 3 1 2

Kerrigan, 3b 3 2 1 0 Silvestre, lf 4 0 0

Rowan, ss 4 2 1 0 King, rf 4 0 1

Maxwell, 1b 5 0 0 0 Brock, 2b 3 0 0

Conway, 2b 3 0 1 3 Hargreaves, c 2 0 0

Totals 40 8 11 7 Totals 32 4 6 3

New Jersey 000 410 120 ? 8

Bangor 400 000 000 ? 4

E?Bailey, Pagan, Kerrigan, Rowan, Conway; Ross 2; LOB?New Jersey 10; Bangor 8; 2B?Blakely, Clendenning, Pagan, Kerrigan; 3B?Bailey; HR?Bailey (3); DP?Rowan-Conway-Maxwell; Ross-Brock-Voltz; S?Hargreaves; SF?Conway; SB?Harris; King, de la Cruz

New Jersey IP H R ER BB SO

Loudon (W,1-0) 5 5 4 1 4 8

Marcotte 2 0 0 0 0 2

Grezlovski 1 0 0 0 0 1

Smith 1 1 0 0 2 0

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Pincavitch (L,0-1) 3 1/3 5 4 1 1 5

Thomas 2 2/3 2 1 1 0 3

Debold 1 3 3 3 1 1

Tindell 2 1 0 0 3 2

WP?Pincavitch, Debold; T?3:10; ATT?2,644