Eagles earn second straight crown

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BANGOR – The lineup hasn’t been as offensively scary for George Stevens Academy as it has in the past, so the Eagles have been doing it with pitching, defense, and an aggressive, small-ball attack.

Different approach … Same result.

The top-seeded Eagles of Blue Hill won their second straight Eastern Maine Class C baseball title and fifth in the last 10 years by slipping past No. 3 Stearns of Millinocket 4-3 in an exciting contest on a cool but humid Wednesday night at Mansfield Stadium.

The 17-2 Eagles return to Mansfield Saturday for an 11 a.m. state game rematch against two-time west champ Jay. Stearns winds up 15-4.

“We beat them quite easily during the regular season, but I knew they were gonna come after us. I figured it would be a tough game,” said coach Dan Kane, whose Eagles were 3-0 against Stearns.

With righthander Chris Sargent – one of six seniors in GSA’s lineup – holding Stearns to four hits over seven innings and allowing two walks while notching six strikeouts, the Eagles were able to make back-to-back, two-run innings stand up.

The Eagles tied the score 2-2 in the fourth after Sargent hit a one-out single, went to second on Chris Candage’s two-out walk, and took third on Will Rosenthal’s walk. Tony Conroy, the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, rose to the occasion by lacing a 2-1 fastball to the right of second base and through the infield for a two-run single.

“I thought it was gonna be a fastball,” Conroy said. “All game he was doing the same thing with his glove. He’d move it around if he was going to throw a curveball and he didn’t do it on that pitch.”

Stearns retook the lead 3-2 in the fifth, courtesy of fielding error, a Matt Wark steal, and a two-out RBI single to left-center by Ryan Bouchard.

The Eagles answered again and took their first lead of the game a half-inning later.

Mark Clapp, who along with Chris Candage has played in four straight EM finals, reached on a one-out fielder’s choice and stole second. Adam Cousins hit one deep down the third-base line for a hit, then he and Clapp then executed a double steal. Clapp appeared to be out at third, but the throw got away from the third baseman and he was able to run home.

“We take advantage of mistakes they make and run as hard as we can,” said Clapp, who stole a season-high four bases. “They played very well. We both played great D, but we did a good job taking the extra base and that might have made the difference.”

The Eagles swiped seven bases in seven attempts.

After another Sargent single, Colin Henry walked to load the bases. Stearns starter Adam Qualey struck out the next hitter on a full count, but Rosenthal drew another walk on four pitches to score Cousins.

Sargent retired three of the four batters he faced in the sixth and then escaped a seventh-inning jam thanks to Clapp. GSA’s senior shortstop made a great lunging grab of a grounder up the middle and flipped the ball to second for the game-ending force play with runners at first and second.

“I just want to throw strikes because we have an incredible defense,” said Sargent, who pitched on three days’ rest. “I used speed and location pretty well until the fifth, when I started getting a little tired.”

After going 6-10 last year, Stearns coach Tom Manzo’s first losing season in six as head coach, he had rather modest expectations.

“Being kind of conservative, I was hoping for 8-7 and these guys went 12-3,” he said. “Now we’re 15-4 and I’m proud of the way these guys have played.

“Our town’s seeing some tough times right now, but these guys have really pulled together and team unity is a big reason we’ve done so well.”

EAGLES 4, MINUTEMEN 3

Stearns (15-4) George Stevens (17-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Wark, cf 4 1 0 0 Astbury, lf 4 0 0

Barnett, c 4 0 0 0 Henry, cf 4 0 0

Cullen, 3b 3 1 1 0 Clapp, ss 4 1 0

Leino, ss 2 1 0 0 Cousins, 3b 4 1 0

Bouchard, dh 4 0 2 1 Sargent, p 3 1 0

Surrette, lf 0 0 0 0 a-Freedman 0 0 0

Michaud, 1b 3 0 0 0 Henry, 1b 2 0 0

Arsenault, 2b 2 0 0 1 b-Harmon 0 0

Qualey, p 2 0 1 1 Candage, c 2 1 0

Simon, rf 3 0 0 0 Rosenthal, 2b 1 0 1

Conroy, rf 3 0 1 2

Totals 27 3 4 3 Totals 27 4 9 3

a-ran for Sargent in the 5th, b-walked for Henry in the 5th

Stearns 000 210 0 ? 3

George Stevens 000 220 x ? 4

E?Barnett, Cousins 2, Clapp; LOB?Stearns 7, George Stevens 9; S?Qualey; SF?Arsenault; SB?Wark, Clapp 4, Candage, Henry, Cousins

Stearns IP H R ER BB SO

Qualey (L,5-3) 6 9 4 2 4 5

George Stevens IP H R ER BB SO

Sargent (W,6-1) 7 4 3 2 2 6

HBP?Michaud by Sargent, Leino by Sargent; WP?Sargent; T?2:04; ATT?336