Rams blank Broncs Bangor rolls in five innings

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HAMPDEN – The Bangor High School baseball team spotted Hampden Academy a 5-0 lead in their first meeting this season.

The Rams were much less benevolent in Wednesday’s rematch, in fact quite the opposite as they powered their way to a 12-0, five-inning victory over the Broncos at Bordick Park.

Sophomore shortstop Ian Edwards hit a three-run homer to cap off a four-run uprising in the top of the first inning, and Bangor cruised the rest of the way behind the two-hit pitching of senior righthander Kyle Leeman.

“That was actually one of the first things we talked about today, that they had jumped out ahead of us the last time and so we really needed to step up and jump on them first,” said junior leftfielder Alex Gallant, who ensured that the 10-run mercy rule would be applied with a towering grand slam in the top of the fifth.

Bangor, which entered the game with a .336 team batting average, pounded out 10 hits – including six for extra bases – off four Hampden pitchers while not striking out once. The Rams also benefited from nine walks.

“It’s amazing to watch these guys hit, because they’re all line-drive hitters,” said Leeman, who was making his first start of the spring after starring in relief for the 9-2 Rams during the first half of the season. “It’s so comfortable when you’re sitting on the bench knowing you have to go out to pitch and you already have a huge lead.”

That lead came quickly. Kyle Vanidestine walked to lead off the game, went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Hampden starter Brennan Perry and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Estabrook.

Gordon Webb followed with a double and Scott Hackett singled before Edwards hit the ball over the fence just inside the left field line to make it 4-0.

“The count was 1-2 so I was just trying to get my bat on the ball,” said Edwards. “[Perry] gave me a low and inside pitch, and it didn’t hit the fat part of the bat so I thought it might have just been a pop fly. But it worked out for me.”

Tyson Barron hit a two-run double for Bangor to spark another four-run rally in the top of the third, with Vanidestine contributing an RBI double and Ryan Jones plating another run with an infield groundout.

Jones singled to lead off the Bangor fifth, and after a pair of walks and two fielder’s choices that left the bases loaded, Gallant blasted the first pitch he saw from Hampden reliever Matt Soucy over the fence in left field.

Edwards finished with a home run and a double, and Gallant had a single to go with his homer for coach Jeff Fahey’s club, which has outscored its last two opponents, Hampden and Erskine Academy of South China, by a combined 27-1 in two five-inning wins this week.

“We’ve come out the last couple of games and really gone after teams in the first inning or two,” said Edwards. “I think that’s helping us putting teams away, because we don’t like teams coming back on us.”

Hampden (3-6-1), got singles from Shawn Smith and Joel Neill.

RAMS 12, BRONCOS 0 (5 inn.)

Bangor (9-2) Hampden Acad. (3-6-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Vanidestine, rf 3 1 1 1 Neill, lf 3 0

Crews, rf 0 0 0 0 Smith, rf 3 0 0

Estabrook, dh 2 1 1 1 Lee, c 2 0 0

Webb, c 1 2 1 0 MacLean, cf 2 0 0

Hackett, 1b 4 2 1 0 Kelsey, ss 2 0 0

Seeley, 1b 0 0 0 0 Hitchings, 1b 2 0 0

Gallant, lf 3 2 2 4 Belcher, dh 2 0 0

Batchelder, lf 0 0 0 0 Stevens, 3b 1 0

Edwards, ss 3 2 2 3 Shue, 2b 0 0 0

Walton, 3b 2 1 0 0

Barron, cf 3 1 1 2

Shepley, cf 0 0 0 0

Jones, 2b 3 0 1 1

Boehmer, 2b 0 0 0 0

Totals 24 12 10 12 Totals 17 0 2 0

Bangor 404 04-12

Hampden Academy 000 00-0

E-Leeman; Perry; LOB-Bangor 7, Hampden Acad. 6; 2B-Vanidestine, Webb, Edwards, Barron; HR-Edwards, Gallant; SF-Estabrook; SB-Gallant

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Leeman (W, 3-0) 5 2 0 0 4 2

Hampden Acad. IP H R ER BB SO

Perry (L, 0-2) 2 5 6 6 4 0

Ireland` 1 2 2 2 2 0

El-Hajj 1 1/3 1 2 2 3 0

Soucy 2/3 2 2 2 0 0

Perry pitched to two batters in 3rd inning.

T-1:35; ATT-100 (est.)