Ellsworth’s rallies finally overcome Hawks

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ELLSWORTH – High school baseball in Maine has its share of pitching duels and slugfests, and then there was Tuesday’s Class B clash between Ellsworth and Hermon, which featured persistent cold, windy conditions, an occasional mistake and plenty of comebacks.

It was a game in which the team that batted last had the advantage, and Ellsworth capitalized on its home-field edge to outlast the Hawks 10-9 in eight innings.

Hermon (3-2) took a 9-8 lead with an unearned run in the top of the eighth, but Ellsworth rallied for two runs in the bottom of the inning, the game-winner scoring on a sacrifice fly by Mike Smith.

Cory Smith was hit by a pitch to lead off the Ellsworth eighth and scored on back-to-back singles by Matt Homich and Louden Jellison. After a one-out intentional walk to Chris Edgecomb loaded the bases, Mike Smith lofted an 0-1 pitch to center field to deliver Homich with the winning run.

It marked the second rally in as many innings for Ellsworth, which trailed 8-6 and was down to its last strike in the bottom of the seventh before an Owen Harding single drove home Andy Berry and Ricky Trombley to force extra innings.

“Basically I just tried to remain calm,” said Harding, a junior. “I tried to wait as much as I could and fortunately I got that hit.”

Ellsworth outhit Hermon 11-5, as Smith, Homich, Trombley and Harding each had two hits for the Eagles.

“We’ve got a pretty good lineup all the way down through,” said Ellsworth coach Dana Smith. “They get good at-bats, and today they just hung in there.”

Ellsworth (2-1) scored a pair of runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead, but Hermon sent 12 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth and scored eight runs to take an 8-4 advantage.

A squeeze bunt single by relief pitcher Steve Kennerson ignited the Hawks’ rally after three straight walks opened the inning, and Brady Hurd capped off the uprising with a two-run double to the gap in left-center.

But Ellsworth got strong relief pitching from juniors Chase Harding and Cory Smith, who combined to allow one hit and no earned runs over the final 4 2/3 innings, and that gave the Eagles’ offense a chance to rally.

“You just try to do it one at-bat at a time,” said Cory Smith. “It’s never good to be down 8-4 and let up eight runs in one inning, but this is one team that doesn’t give up. We fight right to the end.”

Ellsworth closed within 8-6 with a pair of runs on just one hit in the bottom of the fourth, but Kennerson then shut down the Eagles until leaving the game in the seventh.

“Ellsworth played a very good game,” said Hermon coach Mark Farnham. “They kept coming back, and we kept coming back. It was just a hard-fought battle out there.”

EAGLES 10, HAWKS 9 (8 inn.)

Hermon (3-2) Ellsworth (2-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Estes, dh 3 1 0 0 C. Smith, cf 3 3 2 0

Deabay, 2b 0 0 0 0 Homich, ss 5 2 2 1

Perry, cf 3 1 1 1 Jellison, c 2 0 1 2

McGinley, c-p-3b 4 1 1 0 Berry, 1b 5 2 1 1

Kane, 1b-p 4 1 0 1 Edgecomb, p-3b 3 0 0 0

Hurd, lf 4 1 1 2 M. Smith, rf 2 0 0 1

Wilder, p-ss-rf 2 1 1 1 Folmer, ph 1 0 0 0

Jalburt, rf-c 2 1 0 0 Trombley, dh 4 1 2 1

Dority, pr 0 0 0 0 Lupo, 3b 0 0 0 0

T.Kennersn, 3b-1b 2 1 0 0 C. Harding, p 0 0 0 0

Tarr, ss 2 0 0 0 Baez, cf 0 0 0 0

S. Kennerson, p 2 1 1 1 O. Harding, lf 3 1 2 2

Allen, pr 0 0 0 0

Hunnewell, 2b 4 1 1 1

Totals 28 9 5 6 Totals 32 10 11 9

Hermon 000 800 01 – 9

Ellsworth 220 200 22 – 10

E-McGinley, Wilder, Tarr; Lupo, Berry, Jellison, C. Smith; LOB-Hermon 7, Ellsworth 9; 2B-Hurd; C. Smith; SF-Perry; Jellison, M. Smith; SB-Perry, McGinley; Berry 3, Edgecomb, Trombley

Hermon IP H R ER BB SO

Wilder 2 6 4 4 3 0

S. Kennerson 4 1 2 1 3 2

McGinley 1 2 2 0 0 1

Kane (L, 0-1) 0 1 2 2 0 0

Pratt 2/3 1 0 0 1 0

Ellsworth IP H R ER BB SO

Edgecomb 3 1/3 4 7 7 6 1

C. Harding 2 2/3 1 1 0 0 0

C. Smith (W, 1-1) 2 0 1 0 2 1

Kane pitched to two batters in eighth.

Two outs when winning run scored.

HBP-Estes (by Edgecomb), Kane (by Edgecomb); C. Smith (by Kane); WP-Wilder, S. Kennerson; Edgecomb; BK-Wilder, S. Kennerson; T-2:30; ATT-100