Bears topple Lumberjacks in 10 innings

loading...

ORONO – Victories aren’t an uncommon thing for teams nicknamed the Black Bears at the University of Maine’s Mahaney Diamond.

It is uncommon for the visiting baseball team to have that nickname and accomplish the feat, however.

Fresh off a doubleheader sweep, the Bangor Lumberjacks watched a 3-2 ninth-inning lead evaporate on a crisp, clear Monday night and end up as a 7-3 loss at the hands of the Berkshire (Mass.) Black Bears in Northeast League action.

A four-hit, four-run 10th inning gave the 10-14 Bears the win in the series-opening game.

It was the second straight game in which the Lumberjacks bullpen failed to protect a ninth-inning lead.

Berkshire right fielder Kevin Forbes started things off with a single. After Pete Paciorek followed with a walk, Ryan Jones singled and Shane Hopper scored Forbes with a single to left. Manny Crespo’s fielder’s choice grounder scored Jones and sent reliever Brandon Bowe to the showers. Two errors and a single off reliever Roger Kalinowski later, it was 7-3 and the Lumberjacks were effectively treed.

Bangor fell to 8-12 – four games behind first-place Brockton in the NEL’s northern division – and is now 1-4 in extra-inning games. Berkshire snapped a two-game losing skid.

The loss overshadowed another quality start by lefthander Tim Rall, who allowed four hits and three walks while notching 10 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. Rall did not get a decision as Bowe (0-1) was saddled with the loss.

Bangor scored first with two runs in the bottom of the third. Brad Hargreaves hit a leadoff single. Kenichi Miura then got hold of a 3-2 fastball and roped a shot that bounced off the wall for a double. With runners at second and third, Mitsuru Kobayashi laid down a suicide squeeze bunt on a 2-1 pitch and placed it perfectly to the left side of the pitcher’s mound. Kobayashi was thrown out at first, but Hargreaves scored. A wild pitch scored Miura two pitches later.

Berskshire tied it in the fifth with only one hit. Brady Williams and Raul Cruz drew back-to-back, one-out walks. One out later, P.J. Johnston singled to right-center to score Williams. A balk scored Cruz and moved Johnston to second, but Rall escaped further damage by retiring Forbes on an infield fly.

Bangor retook the lead in the sixth. Lorenzo de la Cruz doubled down the left-field line and was sacrificed to third by Silvestre. He scored on a passed ball.

The Black Bears tied it again in the top of the ninth as Brady Williams – previously the game’s most popular player after striking out twice in three at-bats – ripped a solo home run to right with one out.

Williams, who has five home runs this season, was chosen as the “beverage batter” before the start of the game, meaning every time he struck out, the fans in attendance could buy beer and soda for half price the rest of that inning.

The 350-foot shot sent Rall to the dugout and prompted Bangor manager Kash Beauchamp to bring in Bowe.

Hargreaves led the ‘Jacks offensively with three singles in four at-bats.

BLACK BEARS 7, LUMBERJACKS 3

Berkshire (10-14) Bangor (8-12)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Johnston, 2b 6 0 1 1 Kobayashi, ss 3 0 1

Forbes, rf 5 0 2 0 Brock, 3b 4 0 0

Paciorek, 1b 4 0 0 0 Rose, 1b 5 0 0

Clark, cf 0 1 0 0 de la Cruz, dh 5 1 0

Jones, lf-1b 5 1 2 0 Silvestre, lf 4 0 0

Hopper, cf-lf 4 1 1 0 Blakeney, cf 4 0

Crespo, dh 5 1 0 1 Tindell, rf 3 0 0

Williams, 3b 4 2 1 1 King, rf 1 0 0

Cruz, ss 4 1 1 0 Hargreaves, c 4 1 0

Larned, c 5 0 1 0 Miura, 2b 4 1 0

Totals 42 7 9 4 Totals 37 3 9 1

Berkshire 000 020 0014 ? 7

Bangor 002 001 0000 ? 3

E?Paciorek, Kobayashi 2, Tindell, Miura; LOB? Berkshire 9, Bangor 8; 2B?de la Cruz, Miura; HR?Williams (5); S?Crespo, Kobayashi, Silvestre; SB?Hooper, Blakeney, Silvestre

Berkshire IP H R ER BB SO

Hall 6 1/3 7 3 2 1 6

Waroff (W, 2-0) 2 2/3 1 0 0 1 3

Bailie 1 1 0 0 0 2

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Rall 8 1/3 4 3 3 3 10

Bowe (L, 0-1) 1 4 4 3 1 0

Kalinowski 2/3 1 0 0 0 0

WP?Hall; BK?Rall; PB?Larned, Hargreaves; T?3:25; ATT?659