November 14, 2024
AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

Brewer, Bangor gain state berths Teams will face off again in Zone 1 championship round Monday

BANGOR – Game 7 of the American Legion Zone 1 baseball tournament has brought some heartbreak to the Brewer Falcons over the years.

This year, it provided a direct path to next weekend’s state tournament.

Pat Moran pitched a five-hitter Sunday as top-ranked Brewer remained undefeated in zone tourney play with a 6-2 victory over No. 2 Bangor at the Winkin Complex.

The win guarantees the 23-2 Falcons not only a trip to the state tourney at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, but also a ticket to Monday’s Zone 1 championship round.

“We’re excited,” said Brewer coach David Morris. “These guys have dedicated themselves to this all summer long and made the commitment to baseball. I think of all the teams here, we understand how important winning this game to get that third win is, because we’ve been on the other side a few times before.”

Brewer, 3-0 in the tournament, will face Bangor again in Monday’s championship round, and needs just one more win to secure the zone title. Bangor, which earned Zone 1’s second berth in the state tourney with a 5-4 win over No. 5 Trenton on Sunday night, must beat Brewer twice Monday to claim the zone crown.

“We definitely want to win the zone,” said Moran. “Today’s game was a good statement to make sure we got to the states, but our goal all year has been to win the zone, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Bangor (20-5) eliminated Trenton as Gordon Webb hit a bases-loaded infield hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to drive home Jordan Heath with the winning run.

The Comrades loaded the bases with no outs before Trenton reliever Will Rosenthal induced a pair of pop-outs. That brought up Webb, who blooped a 3-2 pitch to the middle of diamond, where Trenton second baseman Kyle Shea made a diving attempt but couldn’t make the catch.

“He jammed me, and I hit it off the handle, and I was just lucky to get a bloop hit,” said Webb, who not only will play in the state Legion tournament but also is part of the Bangor team that will compete in the Senior League World Series in mid-August. “I’m just trying to hit the ball up the middle, anything to get the run in.”

Trenton (13-13) tied the game with two runs in the top of the ninth, loading the bases with no outs before getting one run on a fielder’s choice by Adam Cousins and the tying run on a walk to Nick Ciomei.

Webb, who went 3 for 3 at the plate and twice was hit by a pitch, broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with a bases-loaded double to left that drove home Alex Means and Brian Hackett.

Webb also had a bunt single in the second and scored on Kyle Gallant’s bases-loaded walk.

Trenton tied the game in the third as Blake Wessel had an infield hit and scored on Collin Henry’s double to deep center.

The Acadians took the lead in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Phineas Peake, but Bangor tied the game in the bottom of the inning as Webb was hit by a pitch and advanced on a walk to Scott Hackett and a sacrifice by Jason Eremita before scoring on a wild pitch.

Both Brian Hackett of Bangor and Sam Merrill of Trenton pitched into the ninth inning. Hackett struck out 10, walked four and scattered seven hits before getting relief help from Josh Young. Merrill also allowed seven hits while striking out five and walking five. Each starter hit four batters.

In Sunday’s first game, Moran mixed his fastball, curve and changeup with great success, as he struck out 12, walked four and did not allow an earned run in outdueling Bangor’s Anthony DeRosa.

“Pat’s fastball was there, he had some pop,” said Brewer coach David Morris. “One thing about Pat is that when he gets to the fourth, fifth or sixth inning, he actually gets stronger.”

Brewer took a 4-0 lead with five straight hits – four to the opposite field – after two outs in the bottom of the first. Kevin McAvoy and Moran singled to right, then Andrew Patterson grounded an RBI single up the middle. Joe Robicheau followed with a two-run double down the right-field line, and he scored on Nye Gifford’s single to right.

“Getting that lead made it a lot more comfortable, especially against a team like Bangor that can do a lot with the bats,” said Moran. “To be able to get a four-spot on them in the first inning was a big help.”

DeRosa held Brewer scoreless over the next five innings, and Bangor cut the gap to 4-2 on Eric Anderson’s two-run triple to left-center in the third.

Brewer broke the game open in the seventh. Matt Grimes hit a one-out single and scored when McAvoy doubled to right. Moran singled home McAvoy to make it 6-2.

Andrew Otis added a pair of doubles to the Falcons’ 12-hit attack, one a line shot down the left-field line and the second a hustle double on a hit-and-run ground single to right-center.

In the second game, Harrison Hines had a triple and two singles with five RBIs as Trenton rallied from a pair of five-run deficits to eliminate No. 3 Orono 13-10.

Orono held leads of 5-0 and 7-2 before Hines’ three-run triple in the fifth changed the game’s momentum.

Hines added a two-run single in the sixth as the Acadians scored five runs to take a 10-7 lead. They and pushed the margin to 13-7 with three runs on no hits and three Orono errors in the eighth.

Ciomei doubled and singled for Trenton, while Henry, Rosenthal and Cousins each doubled.

Andy Pooler earned the win, with Dan Hilts getting the final out for the save.

Jarrett Lukas tripled and singled for Orono, while Cody Andrews doubled and singled, Brian Roach had a two-run triple and Dusty Thomas and George Keefe each doubled.

Bangor (19-5) 002 000 000 -2 5 2

Brewer (23-2) 400 000 20x -6 12 2

DeRosa, Leeman (8) and Webb; Moran and Robicheau

Trenton (13-12) 000 235 030 -13 10 2

Orono (15-10) 032 200 012 -10 9 6

Pooler, Astbury (8), Hilts (9) and Hines; Roach, Jar. Lukas (6), Estes (8) and Thomas

Trenton (13-13) 001 100 002 -4 7 0

Bangor (20-5) 010 120 001 -5 8 3

Merrill, Rosenthal (9) and Hines; Hackett, Young (9) and Webb


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