BANGOR – For 20 outs, Hampden Academy had nothing for Bangor righthander Anthony DeRosa.

Two outs into the top of the seventh inning at Mansfield Stadium on Tuesday night, and no Bronco had yet reached base. The perfect game was on.

Yet neither team had scored, so when Pat Moran finally coaxed a walk from DeRosa on a 3-2 pitch, not only did the Broncos have their first baserunner, but an opportunity to win.

Ian Lee followed with a single to the gap in right-center that allowed pinch-runner Dan Lawson to score from first base, and Hampden was on its way to a three-run rally and a 3-0 victory.

“We all think Bangor’s the team to beat, and we just came over here tonight and proved something,” said Lee, a sophomore third baseman.

Hampden’s Chris Pease nearly matched DeRosa’s pursuit of pitching perfection, overcoming a shaky start to finish with a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts and six walks. The righthander held Bangor hitless over the final 5 2/3 innings.

“I got them to swing at a lot of curveballs,” said Pease “and I couldn’t have done it without [catcher] Kevin Brooks blocking the balls in the dirt.”

Hampden (8-2) committed just one error, a defensive effort led by the work of Brooks behind the plate.

“Chris Pease didn’t have his best stuff for three innings, and then he turned it on,” said Hampden coach Marc Halsted. “Chris was able to throw 15 to 20 curveballs in the dirt, and on half of them we got swings and strikes, and Kevin kept all of them in front of him.”

For 20 outs, though, the pitching story of this game was DeRosa. The junior didn’t overpower the Broncos; efficiency was his forte. DeRosa threw just 65 pitches over the first six innings, and finished with a two-hitter that included seven strikeouts and just two walks – one intentional.

“His curveball was breaking really good and he was throwing it outside so we were hitting everything off the end of the bat,” said Lee.

But with Pease matching DeRosa scoreless inning for scoreless inning, there was no margin for error.

After Moran drew the two-out walk in the seventh, Lee attacked an 0-1 pitch and drilled it for a clean hit. Bangor center fielder Mike Prentiss quickly cut off the ball in right-center, but Lawson beat the relay throw home and Hampden had a 1-0 lead.

“I was just looking for a pitch to drive,” said Lee. “I was thinking fastball and he threw curveball and I kept my weight back and drove it to right field. I was just up there ripping.”

Lee reached second on the throw home, and Pease was intentionally walked. Brooks then singled to left, and Matt Scott – pinch-running for Lee – scored when the ball got loose at home plate. Pease scored the final run when Jason Huntley reached on an infield error.

Pinch-hitter Jessefa Murphy drew a one-out walk in the Bangor seventh, but Pease got the next two batters to hit into forceouts to end the game.

Bangor (6-2) had its best chances against Pease early in the game, stranding two runners in each of the first three innings and eight for the game.

“A couple of times with one out we just couldn’t get the big hit, and another time P.J. Dowe ripped one right at the third baseman,” said Bangor coach Jeff Fahey. “It started out like we were going to hit Pease OK, but to his credit he settled down and kept us off balance.”

BRONCOS 3, RAMS 0

Hampden Acad. (8-2) Bangor (6-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Meehan, ss 3 0 0 0 Hall, lf 4 0 0

Shannon, 2b 3 0 0 0 N. Larochelle, 2b 3 0

Moran, 1b 2 0 0 0 DeRosa, p 3 0 0

Lawson, pr 0 1 0 0 Dowe, c 3 0 0 0

Lee, 3b 3 0 1 0 Anderson, dh 2 0 0

Scott, pr 0 1 0 0 Prentiss, cf 0 0 0

Pease, p 2 1 0 0 Young, 1b 3 0 0

K. Brooks, c 3 0 1 0 Hackett, 3b 3 0 0

Huntley, dh 2 0 0 0 Heath, ss 1 0 0

Sugesawa, lf 0 0 0 0 M.Larochelle, rf 1 0

Brown, cf 2 0 0 0 Murphy, ph 0 0 0

MacLean, rf 2 0 0 0

Totals 22 3 2 1 Totals 23 0 3 0

Hampden Academy 000 000 3 ? 3

Bangor 000 000 0 ? 0

E?Shannon; Dowe, DeRosa; LOB?Hampden 1, Bangor 8; DP?Hampden 1; SB?Heath, N. Larochelle

Hampden Acad. IP H R ER BB SO

Pease (W, 3-0) 7 3 0 0 6 5

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

DeRosa (L, 1-2) 7 2 3 1 2 7

T?1:47; ATT?250