Berkshire rallies, tips Lumberjacks Bangor bullpen blows another lead

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ORONO – The Bangor Lumberjacks’ bullpen had relinquished ninth-inning leads in each of its last two games.

On Tuesday night, it didn’t take as long.

The Berkshire Black Bears rallied from a 5-1 deficit to down the Lumberjacks 6-5 and score their second come-from-behind baseball victory in the first two games of this four-game Northeast League series at Mahaney Diamond.

Three Berkshire runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh made a winner of Black Bears starter Tony Harden (3-1). The right-hander struggled early, allowing four runs in the first two innings, then settled down and allowed just one run over his final five innings of work.

Matt Smith came on to work two hitless innings to pick up his first save of the season.

The loss drops Bangor, the fourth-place team in the NEL’s North Division, to 8-13 on the season. Berkshire, fourth in the South Division, is now 11-14.

The Lumberjacks fell despite a big night from left-fielder Juan Silvestre. The 27-year-old product of San Pedro de Macoris, Domincan Republic, went 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two stolen bases.

It was all Bangor early, as the Lumberjacks jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead. Leadoff hitter Mitsuru Kobayashi reached base when Black Bears second baseman P.J. Johnston booted a routine grounder. After Mo Blakeney walked, Donnie Ross doubled off the wall in left-center to drive home Kobayashi. A groundout by Lorenzo de la Cruz scored Blakeney before Silvestre blooped a single to center to plate Ross with the third run of the inning.

Kobayashi reached on a two-out infield single in the second and scored when Blakeney ripped a high fastball into left field for a double to extend the Jacks’ lead to 4-0.

Berkshire reached Jacks’ starter Kevin Pincavitch for its first run in the top of the third. Andrew Larned drew a leadoff walk, and Johnston followed with a one-out single. A walk to Kevin Forbes loaded the bases, and Larned scored on a fielder’s choice by Pete Paciorek to cut the gap to 4-1.

Ross led off the Bangor fifth with his second double, went to third on a come-backer to the mound by de la Cruz, and scored on Silvestre’s ground single to left through a drawn-in infield to extend the Lumberjacks’ lead to 5-1.

A three-run rally in the top of the sixth drew Berkshire within 5-4. The Black Bears put runners on second and third to open the inning as Forbes grounded a single up the middle and Paciorek doubled down the right field line. Forbes scored on a sacrifice fly by Shane Hopper, and back-to-back singles by Manny Crespo and Brady Williams plated Paciorek. Crespo, who reached third base on a passed ball, scored on a groundout by Raul Cruz to make it a one-run game.

Pincavitch gave way in the seventh to newcomer Brian Gouin, a right-hander signed by the Jacks earlier in the day. But Gouin (0-1) immediately cost his pitching coach a decision, yielding a pair of runs after two were out as Berkshire took its 6-5 lead. Jason Clark drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Johnston before Paciorek hit his second double of the evening to drive home the tying run. Paciorek then scored the game-winner on Gouin’s next pitch, a single to left by Hopper.

BLACK BEARS 6, LUMBERJACKS 5

Berkshire (11-14) Bangor (8-13)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Johnston, 2b 4 0 1 0 Kobayashi, ss 5 2 0

Forbes, rf 4 1 1 0 Blakeney, cf 4 1 1

Paciorek, 1b 4 2 2 2 Ross, 1b 3 2 1

Jones, lf 0 0 0 0 Tindell, 1b 0 0 0

Hopper, dh-lf 4 0 2 2 de la Cruz, dh 5 1

Crespo, c 4 1 1 0 Silvestre, lf 5 0 2

Williams, 3b 3 0 1 1 Brock, 3b 4 0 0

Cruz, ss 3 0 0 1 King, rf 4 0 0

Clark, cf 3 1 0 0 Hargreaves, c 4 0 0

Larned, dh 3 1 1 0 Miura, 2b 3 0 0

Totals 32 6 9 6 Totals 37 5 9 5

Berkshire 001 003 200 ? 5

Bangor 310 010 000 ? 6

E?Johnston, Williams; LOB?Berkshire 7, Bangor 9; 2B?Paciorek 2; Blakeney, Ross 2; S?Johnston, Cruz; SF?Hopper; SB?Hopper, Tindell; Kobayashi, Silvestre 2

Berkshire IP H R ER BB SO

Harden (W, 3-1) 7 9 5 4 2 8

Smith (S, 1) 2 0 0 0 1 2

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Pincavitch 6 7 4 4 2 5

Gouin (L, 0-1) 1 2 2 2 1 0

Thomas 2 0 0 0 1 4

HBP?Paciorek by Thomas; Miura by Smith; WP?Pincavitch 2; PB?Crespo 2; T?3:17; ATT?1,009