GSA claims second straight championship

loading...

GORHAM – George Stevens Academy went hitless for the first two innings of Saturday’s Class C baseball state final at Gorham High School.

It wasn’t because the Eagles weren’t hitting, for even some outs were well-struck. Once sophomore right fielder Forrest Wardwell opened the third with a double down the left-field line, GSA didn’t stop hitting, pounding out 15 hits to defeat St. Dominic of Auburn 12-2 and win its second straight state championship.

“We stroked the ball today,” said senior second baseman Will Rosenthal, who tripled, singled twice and drove in three runs from the leadoff spot. “[St. Dominic righty Ian Pullen] threw straight fastballs, and we’re a fastball-hitting team, so we were able to knock him around.”

Wardwell and sophomore first baseman Collin Henry also had three hits apiece for GSA, which took a 2-0 lead in the third inning and broke the game open with six runs on six hits in the top of the fourth.

“Everyone was chipping in,” said GSA coach Dan Kane, “and we were situationally hitting well. When we got guys on second and third, we were hitting the ball hard to the outfield and making them make plays.”

That offensive outburst helped junior lefthander Dan Hilts cruise to his second straight victory in a state title game.

Pulled from Tuesday’s Eastern Maine final against Searsport after allowing seven hits and five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, Hilts proved too crafty and capable for a St. Dominic lineup that hadn’t faced a lefthander all spring.

“After the last game, I wanted the ball back quite bad,” said Hilts. “Today the curveball was working even though it might not have been called for strikes as much as it could have been, and the fastball was right there.”

Hilts (6-0) didn’t overpower the 15-3 Saints, he merely mastered them. He struck out two batters – both in the seventh inning – while walking three and hitting one during a 119-pitch effort that included 74 strikes.

“Dan’s a big-game pitcher, and this was a big game,” said Rosenthal. Hilts’ only hiccup came in the fifth, when St. Dominic combined two hits and two walks to score its only runs.

That merely cut the gap to 8-2, and Hilts – who shut out Jay in the 2003 state final – regrouped to hold the Saints scoreless the rest of the way.

“I thought we’d do a little bit better facing a lefty because of our experience,” said St. Dominic coach Allan Turgeon. “But he kept us off-balance and really had our number.”

GSA, making its third straight trip to the state final and sixth title-game appearance in the last 11 years, played with a confidence that belied the fact that 11 players graduated from the 2003 championship team and just three seniors (Rosenthal, third baseman Adam Cousins and catcher Harrison Hines) remained.

“The odds were in our favor,” said Kane. “Danny very seldom goes two bad games in a row, and today he came out throwing strikes. He kept them off-balance, kept the runners close, and allowed for our strongest defense to be on the field.”

GSA sophomore Phineas Peake followed Wardwell’s third-inning double by attempting a sacrifice, but he pushed the bunt past Pullen for a hit.

Rosenthal singled to right, driving home Wardwell, and Hines’ two-out single off second baseman’s Josh Dwinal’s glove plated Peake to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

GSA (17-3) sent 12 batters to the plate an inning later to extend its lead to 8-0.

Sophomore shortstop Blake Wessel – who had two hits in the fourth – singled to center and Hilts walked before Wardwell singled in a run off the glove of St. Dominic third baseman Brady Blackman. A Peake sacrifice bunt was followed by a first-pitch two-run triple to right-center by Rosenthal that pushed the margin to 5-0.

“Usually on the first pitch I’m looking for something middle of the plate in that I can pull,” said Rosenthal. “I got something that was down around my knees and I was able to get around on it and put it in the outfield.”

Cousins (2-for-5) singled home Rosenthal, and Henry followed with an infield hit. Both runners scored on St. Dominic errors.

A sacrifice fly by Brent Cary and RBI single by Ryan Turgeon in the fifth delivered St. Dominic’s only runs.

GSA scored twice on four hits and two St. Dominic errors in the seventh, with Henry driving home a run with a bases-loaded single to right.

EAGLES 12, SAINTS 2

George Stevens (17-3) St. Dominic (15-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Rosenthal, 2b 4 2 3 3 Pullen, p-cf 4 0

Cousins, 3b 5 2 2 1 Dwinal, 2b 2 0 0

Henry, 1b 5 2 3 1 Turgeon, 1b-p 3 0 1

Hines, c 4 0 1 1 Lavoie, ss 3 0 0

Gallagher, lf 5 0 0 0 Rutt, lf 3 0

Wessel, ss 4 1 2 0 Blackman, 3b-p 3 0 0

Hilts, p 3 1 0 0 Carpenter, dh 2 1 0

Guthrie, pr 0 0 0 0 Albert, c 0 0 0

Wardwell, rf 4 3 3 1 Mayo, cf-1b-3b 3 0 0

Peake, cf 3 1 1 0 Cary, rf 2 0 1

Totals 37 12 15 7 Totals 25 2 6 2

George Stevens Acad. 002 600 4 ? 12

St. Dominic 000 020 0 ? 2

E?Cousins, Wessel; Blackman 2, Mayo 2; LOB?GSA 10, St. Dominic 8; 2B?Wardwell; 3B?Rosenthal; Pullen; S?Peake, Hines; SF?Cary; SB?Wessel 3

George Stevens IP H R ER BB SO

Hilts (W, 6-0) 7 6 2 2 3 2

St. Dominic IP H R ER BB SO

Pullen (L, 5-1) 3 5 4 4 2 2

Turgeon 1 5 4 2 1 1

Blackman 3 5 4 1 0 2

HBP?Turgeon by Hilts; WP?Hilts; Turgeon; T?2:08; ATT?500 (est.)