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HAMPDEN – Dan MacLean didn’t start Saturday, but the Hampden Academy sophomore provided the decisive closing act in the Broncos’ 5-3 baseball victory over previously unbeaten Hermon at Bordick Park.
The righthander relieved starter Jason Huntley in the top of the sixth to thwart a Hermon rally, then grounded a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning to break a 3-3 tie.
“Danny MacLean is just one of those tough, hard-nosed kids who doesn’t want to do anything but have the bat or the ball in his hand and just compete,” said Hampden coach Marc Halsted. “He just went out and made a nice pitch at the end of the sixth, cleaned up in the seventh, and got the game-winning hit. That’s all you can ask for.”
MacLean entered the game with two on and two out in the sixth, and induced Hermon’s Bill Bart to ground to Hampden shortstop Blaine Meehan. Meehan’s throw to first pulled first baseman Chris Pease’s foot off the base, but after originally being called safe, Bart was ruled out after the umpires had a brief discussion and determined that Pease retouched first base before Bart arrived.
Billy Shannon then led off the Hampden sixth with a wind-blown triple to right. Pease drew a one-out walk, and Ian Lee drew an intentional walk to load the bases after working the count to 3-0.
Kevin Brooks grounded to third, but Hermon’s Brett Danforth threw home to force out Shannon and keep the tie intact. MacLean, in his first at-bat of the game, then hit an 0-1 pitch from Bart up the middle to drive home pinch-runner Dan Lawson and Lee and give Hampden its first and final lead.
“Billy throws hard,” said MacLean. “I was expecting fastball and hoping to hit a line drive, just make contact.”
Hampden managed only five hits off Bart, who pitched a 96-pitch five-hitter with four strikeouts, two walks and a hit batsman.
“Billy really worked hard out there,” said Hermon coach Mark Farnham. “One of the biggest things I told him coming into the game was to work ahead in the count, and he was always 1-2, 0-2 on the batters.”
The win improves Class A Hampden to 6-2, while sending Class B Hermon to its first defeat after a 6-0 start.
“We just lost to a good Class A team,” said Farnham. “We didn’t lose to a B, we didn’t lose to a C. Yes, it would have been better picking up points from them, but we go back into our division on Monday against Foxcroft, and we need to be ready to play them.”
Hermon gave Bart a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, capitalizing on a hit batsman, a walk, two Hampden errors, a windblown single on an infield pop-up by Danforth, and a two-run ground single to left by Brian McGinley.
Hampden matched that rally in the bottom of the inning, beginning when Lee drilled a one-out solo home run to left.
“It was just the right pitch and I turned on it and got it on the right part of the bat,” said Lee, a sophomore.
Brooks and Huntley followed with infield singles, with Brooks later scoring on a wild pitch and Huntley scoring the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Mike Brooks.
BRONCOS 5, HAWKS 3
(Saturday Afternoon)
Hermon (6-1) Hampden (6-2)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Ellis, cf 3 0 1 0 Meehan, ss 3 0 0
Bart, p 4 0 0 0 Shannon, 2b 3 0 0
Cayford, ss 3 0 0 0 Moran, rf 3 0 0
Archer, 1b 3 1 0 0 Pease, 1b 2 0 0
Danforth, 3b 4 1 3 0 Lawson, pr 0 1 0
Shorey, 2b 2 1 0 0 Lee, 3b 2 2 1 1
Estes, ph 1 0 0 0 K. Brooks, c 2 1 0
McGinley, c 3 0 1 2 Huntley, p 2 1 0
Wilder, lf 2 0 0 0 MacLean, p 1 0 2
Joy, rf 2 0 1 0 M. Brooks, cf 2 0 1
Sugesawa, lf 2 0 0 0
Totals 27 3 6 2 Totals 22 5 5 4
Hermon 030 000 0 ? 3
Hampden 030 002 x ? 5
E?Danforth 2, Shorey; Moran, K. Brooks, Shannon; LOB?Hermon 9, Hampden 3; 3B?Danforth; Shannon; HR?Lee (1); DP?Hermon 1; SF?M. Brooks; SB?Joy 2; K. Brooks, Lawson
Hermon IP H R ER BB SO
Bart (L, 2-1) 6 5 5 4 2 4
Hampden IP H R ER BB SO
Huntley 5 2/3 5 3 2 5 3
MacLean (W, 1-0) 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 2
HBP?Archer (by Huntley); K. Brooks (by Bart); WP?Bart, MacLean; T?2:00; ATT?60 (est.)
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