BANGOR – Nick Larochelle singled through a drawn-in infield with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night to drive home his twin brother and give Bangor a 3-2 American Legion baseball victory over Brewer at Mansfield Stadium.

The win avenges a one-run loss to Brewer earlier in the summer and enables the 13-2 Comrades to maintain a 41/2-game lead over 8-6 Lincoln in the Zone 1 North Division standings. Brewer falls to 11-3 but still clings to a 1/2-game lead over 10-3 Trenton in the South Division.

Mike Larochelle opened the Bangor ninth by reaching base on a third-strike wild pitch. He went to second on a sacrifice by P.J. Dowe, and advanced to third on a wild pitch as Nick Larochelle worked the count to 3-0.

Brewer reliever Kevin McAvoy came back with two straight strikes, but Nick Larochelle served the next pitch into right field to drive home the winning run.

“I had a 3-0 count, but [McAvoy] came back with good pitches for strikes,” said Nick Larochelle, “so I shortened up a little bit and was just trying to make contact.”

“His focus was just to put the ball in play, and with the infield in the odds are so much better that if you put the ball in play it’s going get by somebody,” added Bangor coach Jay Kemble. “We were going on contact anyway, we were going to take our chance, and he did a nice job, he didn’t overswing and put it in play.”

Josh Heath earned the pitching win, relieving Josh Young with two on and one out in the seventh inning after Young suffered a possible fractured right thumb when he was struck on his pitching hand by a shot to the mound off McAvoy’s bat.

Heath then got Pat Moran to hit into a threat-ending 6-4-3 double play, one of three turned by the Comrades over the final three innings.

“Josh Heath did a good job of throwing ground balls, and with one out and runners in scoring position the defense came through,” said Nick Larochelle.

Brewer scored both its runs in the top of the first, a rally highlighted by Nye Gifford’s RBI single.

Bangor tied the game in the second, as Young singled and scored on an error and Nate Hall added a two-out RBI single.

From there the game belonged to Young and Moran. Young scattered nine hits while striking out four and walking one before he had to leave the game.

Moran was even better. The right-hander worked eight innings, allowing six hits while striking out nine and walking just one.

“Both guys pitched well,” said Brewer coach Dave Morris. “Josh pitched a great game, it was unfortunate what happened to him, and Pat Moran pitched the best game I’ve ever seen him pitch. In the first three innings his pitch count got up there, but after that he settled in and started attacking people and making people try to hit him.”

Brewer outhit Bangor 11-7, but stranded 11 baserunners. Moran had three singles for the Falcons, while Gifford and McAvoy added two singles each. Hall and Young had two singles apiece for Bangor.

COMRADES 3, FALCONS 2

Brewer (11-3) Bangor (13-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Miller, cf 4 1 0 0 Hall, rf 4 0 1

Bzn-Kaloustn, 2b 4 0 1 0 Means, ss 4 0

McAvoy, 3b-p 4 0 2 0 B. Hackett, c 4 0 0

Moran, p 5 1 3 0 Cayford, lf 4 0 0

Cushing, 3b 0 0 0 0 Young, p 3 1 0

Robicheau, c 3 0 1 0 DeRosa, pr 0 0 0

Gifford, rf 4 0 2 1 Jos. Heath, p 1 0 0

Grimes, lf 4 0 0 0 M. Larochelle, 1b 3 0

Patterson, 1b 3 0 1 0 Dowe, c 2 1 0

J. Davis, ss 4 0 1 0 N. Larochelle, 2b 4 1

Eremita, cf 2 0 0 0

Nelson, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 35 2 11 1 Totals 32 3 7 2

Brewer 200 000 000 ? 2

Bangor 020 000 001 ? 3

E?Patterson, McAvoy, Davis; Means 2, Heath; LOB?Brewer 11, Bangor 7; 2B?Bouzan-Kaloustian; DP?Bangor 3; S?Bouzan-Kaloustian; M. Larochelle, Dowe

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Moran 8 6 2 0 1 9

McAvoy (L) 1/3 1 1 1 0 1

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Young 6 1/3 9 2 2 1 4

Jos. Young (W,1-0) 2 2/3 2 0 0 3 0

One out when winning run scored.

WP?McAvoy 2; Jos. Heath; T?2:34; ATT?110 (est.)