MDI captures regional title Trojans win first ever EM crown

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BANGOR – Having escaped a major threat in the top of the first inning relatively unscathed, the Mount Desert Island baseball team could have been content with merely taking a collective sigh of relief.

But the Trojans opted for a different approach, and as a result are the Eastern Maine Class B champions for the first time in school history.

MDI erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the first, then cruised behind senior righthander Andy Pooler and an errorless defense to a 13-2 victory over Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield in a regional final that ended after 41/2 innings Tuesday due to the 10-run mercy rule.

The win advances the Trojans (12-7) to Saturday’s state final against Gorham (19-0) at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. Gorham won the Western B crown with a 2-1 win over Poland.

“This feels so great,” said MDI senior first baseman Marcus Maffucci. “It’s been such a long time since we even made it here [the Trojans last reached an EM final in 1988], so to do something that hasn’t been done before is just great, just amazing.”

The fifth-seeded Trojans sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on five walks, four MCI errors and three hits to erase a 1-0 deficit.

“I think we went out there with a few jitters, and I think they did, too,” said MCI coach Phil Hendricks, whose 10th-seeded Huskies had won three road playoff games to reach the program’s first regional final. “I never dreamed we’d make four errors in one inning. It just didn’t go our way today.”

Sam Merrill and Matt Grover had the key hits of the inning against MCI starter Andrew deBerthune, Merrill a two-run single through a drawn-in infield and Grover a two-out, three-run double to deep left-center.

That rally came after MCI threatened similar fireworks in the top of the inning. A walk to Marty Quint and a bunt single by Ryan Kennedy put runners on first and second with no outs before Pooler squared off against senior outfielder Phil Hendricks, the coach’s son.

The two battled through a nine-pitch at-bat that featured one foul blast that went to the left-field fence and several other rockets just outside the field of play.

Finally Pooler induced Hendricks to hit a high chopper to Merrill at third base. Merrill grabbed the ball, stepped on third for a forceout and threw to first, where Maffucci scooped up the one-hop throw to complete the double play.

“I got a good hop that led me right to the bag,” said Merrill. “I just made the play and luckily Marcus bailed me out at first base.”

MCI (11-9) took its 1-0 lead when Victor Quint singled home Kennedy, but the rally had been quelled and it was MDI that had momentum.

“Getting out of that inning was big,” said MDI coach Mike Clark. “That could have been a problem for us. A little bit to the right and [Hendricks’ foul] ball is gone. We battled back and stayed focused, and then went right after them. We responded in a big way by putting nine on the board in the first inning.”

Once MDI took the lead, the rest was left to Pooler, who like everyone else on this drizzly day had to contend with the elements as well as the opponent.

“It was hard to get in a groove because you had to keep changing balls and cleaning your cleats off and waiting for the batters to clean their bats off,” said Pooler, who struck out one and walked four. “You’ve just got to battle through it, and once you endure it, it feels great.”

MDI added two runs in the third. Grover was hit by a pitch, and Maffucci followed with an RBI double to center. Kyle Shea walked – one of four he drew in the game – and he and Maffucci worked a double steal before Maffucci scored on a wild pitch.

MCI closed within 11-2 in the top of the fourth as deBerthune walked and later scored on a single by Adam Connors.

MDI built its lead to 11 runs in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice on two hit batters, two walks – one a bases-loaded pass to Shea – a wild pitch and a single by Jake Willis.

Three outs later, the Trojans were champions.

“This school has never experienced a state baseball game before,” said Clark. “You watch them on TV and read about them in the paper, and for these kids to be a part of that, that’s something special. These kids have earned every bit of it.”

TROJANS 13, HUSKIES 2

MCI (11-9) MDI (12-7)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

M. Quint, ss 1 0 0 0 Pooler, p 2 2 0

Kennedy, 2b-p 3 1 1 0 Willis, ss 4 0

Hendricks, cf 3 0 1 0 Grover, rf 2 3

V. Quint, c 3 0 1 1 Burne, pr 0 0 0

deBerthune, p-2b 2 1 0 0 Maffucci, 1b 3 1

Huff, 1b 1 0 1 0 Shea, 2b 0 1 1

Girror, 3b 1 0 0 0 Lyons, c 3 1 1

West, rf 2 0 0 0 Merrill, 3b 3 1 2

Connors, lf 2 0 1 1 Hamlin, lf 2 0 0

Catalina, lf 0 0 0 0 Du. Dunn, cf 1 2 0

Totals 18 2 5 2 Totals 20 13 6 8

Maine Central Institute 100 10 – 2

Mount Desert Island 902 2x – 13

E-Huff, Connors, M. Quint, V. Quint; LOB-MCI 6, MDI 8; 2B-Merrill, Grover, Maffucci; DP-Merrill-Maffucci, Pooler-Merrill-Maffucci; SB-Maffucci, Shea

MCI IP H R ER BB SO

deBerthune (L, 4-1) 1 1/3 4 9 5 7 3

Kennedy 2 2/3 2 4 4 3 1

MDI IP H R ER BB SO

Pooler (W, 4-5) 5 5 2 2 4 1

HBP-Grover 2 (by Kennedy), Dunn (by Kennedy); Girror (by Pooler); WP-deBerthune, Kennedy 2; BK-Pooler; T-1:48; ATT-300