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BANGOR – The Bangor Lumberjacks got key efforts from unlikely candidates and a big, bottom-of-the-ninth gamble by Elmira manager Ronnie Nedset backfired as the Lumberjacks downed the Pioneers 6-5 Friday night.
In his first game back after a five-game layoff with a bruised hand, Bangor outfielder Derry Hammond went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and a run. It was his leadoff, first-pitch triple to the gap in left center that got things rolling as he motored around and showed no sign of the hamstring woes that sidelined him earlier in the season.
“I felt good. Once I saw it get in the gap and he bobbled it, I was like ‘I ain’t pulling up at second’ and went,” said Hammond, who also stole a base. “That was the first run I’ve had to dig out since my hamstring injury, but it feels fine now.”
Nedset then opted to intentionally walk the next two batters – Mark Burke and Kazuhiro Kohno – to load the bases for either a strikeout, force at home, or double play with a force at home.
That brought up struggling shortstop Shin Uchino, who didn’t start, but came into the game as a pinch-runner for newly signed infielder Jeff Brooks in the seventh. It was the game’s first at-bat for Uchino, who was hitless in his last 10 at-bats with six strikeouts.
Uchino jumped all over the first pitch and lined it foul down the left field line before whacking the next one up the middle for the game-winning single.
“I expected fastball,” said the Fuokoka, Japan, native. “It feels good to get hit.”
“That was a great time for him to get a hit,” said Bangor manager Kash Beauchamp, whose team is now 9-3. “The fans got their money’s worth tonight. I probably lost a few more hairs, but it was a great game, especially to win.”
Bangor scored the first two runs of the game in the second inning. Burke hit a one-out single to shallow right center. After a strikeout, Brooks moved him to third with a single through the left side of the infield. Rolando Bello walked to load the bases and two runs came in on as Paul Powell was hit by a pitch and Jose Garcia drew a walk.
The Lumberjacks made it 4-0 in the third when Donnie Ross led off with a walk, Hammond doubled down the left- field line, and Kohno scored them both with a one-out single to the right-field corner.
Elmira, now 4-7, scored a run in the sixth on Dytarious Edwards’ leadoff single to the gap on the left side of the infield. Brooks snagged the ball, but threw wildly to first and Edwards raced all the way around to score on the three-base error.
Elmira cut Bangor’s lead to 4-3 in the seventh. With runners at second and third and one out, No. 9 hitter Jobu Morita then laced the first pitch to right for a two-run single.
Bangor added an insurance run in the seventh via Hammond’s leadoff walk, a stolen base, and Brooks’ two-out RBI single to right center.
“I’m really lucky to have fallen into this situation. This is a great bunch of guys,” said Brooks, who was signed as a free agent earlier this week after a tryout in Massachusetts. “I already know Matt Scheuing because we’re both from the same town (Lancaster, Pa.) and I’m glad to be able to help out this fast.”
The Pioneers tied it in dramatic fashion in the ninth with runners at first and second, a 3-2 count, and two outs as Edwards fouled off three two-strike pitches to stay alive for a game-tying, two-run single to right off closer Lance Calmus.
“That was a great at-bat for him. You’ve got to take your hat off to that,” said Beauchamp.
LUMBERJACKS 6, PIONEERS 5
Elmira (4-7) Bangor (9-3)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Davidson, ss 4 0 0 0 Garcia, rf 1 0 1
Edwards, 2b 5 1 2 2 Hargreaves, c 5 0 0
Dodson, rf 5 0 0 0 Ross, dh 1 1 0
Deck, 1b 0 0 0 0 Martinez, dh 2 0 0
Abreu, 3b 4 0 0 0 Hammond, lf 4 3 0
Checksfield, 1b-rf 4 0 3 0 Burke, 1b 4 0
Narei, dh 3 1 0 0 Kohno, cf 4 0 2
Bryan, lf 1 1 0 0 Brooks, 3b 4 1 1
Van Gorder, pr 0 1 0 0 Uchino, ss 1 1
Keathing, lf 0 0 0 0 Bello, 2b 2 0 0
Smith, c 3 1 2 0 Powell, ss-3b 2 0 1
Morita, cf 3 0 1 2
Totals 32 5 8 4 Totals 30 6 7 6
Elmira 000 001 202 ? 5
Bangor 022 000 101 ? 6
E?Brooks; LOB?Pioneers 7; Lumberjacks 13; 2B?Smith; Hammond; 3B?Hammond; DP?Lumberjacks 1; S?Smith, Morita; SB?Bryan; Garcia 2, Hammond, Kohno, Powell; CS?Powell
Elmira IP H R ER BB SO
Soto 2 1/3 4 4 4 3 3
Constantino 3 2/3 0 0 0 3 4
Stuart 1 1 1 1 1 2
Borland (L, 2-4) 1 1 1 1 3 0
Elfeldt 0 1 0 0 0 0
Bangor IP H R ER BB SO
Pavlik 5 3 0 0 2 7
McKeller 1 1/3 2 3 2 2 1
Huguet 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 2
Calmus (W, 4-3) 1 2 2 2 1 1
Borland pitched to three batters in the 9th
Elfeldt pitched to one batter in the 9th
HBP?Powell 2 (by Soto, by Constantino), Ross (by Constantino); WP?Constantino; T?3:31; ATT?1,597
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