Rams roll to Eastern crown

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AUGUSTA – It was a game that began with subtlety but ended with dominance – and an Eastern Maine Class A baseball championship – for the Bangor Rams.

Subtlety came via a 10-pitch walk drawn by Bangor leadoff hitter Kyle Vanidestine to open the bottom of the first, an at-bat that set the stage for a 16-hit outburst by the Rams.

Dominance was symbolized by a 4-for-4, four-RBI day from senior first baseman Scott Hackett, errorless defense and the two-hit pitching of senior righthander Jim Cox, as top-ranked Bangor whipped Skowhegan 10-0 in a regional final at Morton Field Tuesday that ended in the sixth inning under the 10-run rule.

“Everyone was just nailing the ball, and Jimmy on the mound couldn’t have been any better,” said sophomore shortstop Ian Edwards, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and single.

The victory was the 10th straight for 17-2 Bangor, which will play for the state championship at noon Saturday at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish against Portland, a 7-3 winner over Gorham in the Western Maine A final Tuesday night.

“I wasn’t sure if we were a little bit flat, or tired or what, but our pregame was the worst pregame we’ve had all year,” said Bangor coach Jeff Fahey, whose program earned its first EM title since 2000. “But right from the first pitch Jimmy threw to the first at-bat when Kyle really made their pitcher work we were on, and from there it just snowballed.”

No. 3 Skowhegan, which split two games with Bangor during the regular season, finishes 14-5.

Cox (7-0) needed just 78 pitches to finish off the shutout. He struck out five batters and walked two, and allowed just one Skowhegan batter to reach third base.

“I was pretty much working with my curveball the whole game,” he said. “I was getting that over for strikes and coming inside with my fastball, trying to keep them off balance. It worked out pretty well.”

Bangor broke the game open with four runs in the second inning off Skowhegan starter Mike LaCasse, and scored three more runs in the third for an 8-0 lead.

But it was Vanidestine’s first inning persistence – fouling off four pitches after picking up his second strike – that proved inspirational, as he went on to score the game’s first run on a two-out single by Hackett.

“I knew starting out I was looking for a fastball, and I fouled it off, and then I just kept guessing right,” said Vanidestine, who went on to hit a triple and a single, walk twice, steal two bases and score three runs. “I knew it was an important at-bat, so I just had to get on.”

Tyson Barron opened the Bangor second with a single to left, and he went to second on a bunt single by Ryan Jones. Vanidestine followed with an RBI single to left, and Jones scored on Ben Estabrook’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. One out later, Hackett pulled a two-run homer to right to cap off the rally.

Edwards opened the Bangor third with a double to center and scored on Barron’s one-out single to center. Barron was caught between first and second on the play for the second out, but Jones singled to left and Vanidestine walked before Estabrook grounded an RBI single to left. Gordon Webb then walked to load the bases before Hackett capped off the rally with an RBI infield hit.

Through three innings, Bangor had eight runs on 11 hits – and the Rams just kept hitting.

“I think it all started when Kyle had that great at-bat, that just set the tone,” said Hackett. “We’d faced LaCasse before, and we knew that we could hit him, so once Kyle got him out of his zone, everyone just started to rip the ball.”

Edwards led off the Bangor fourth with a solo home run to left to make it 9-0, and Shane Walton singled home Alex Gallant with one out in the sixth to end the game.

“Our team ripped the ball today,” said Cox. “It’s probably the best offensive game we’ve had all season, and it came at a good time, too.

“It’s not very often you can 10-run rule a team in an Eastern Maine championship game.”

RAMS 10, INDIANS 0

(6 innings)

Skowhegan (14-5) Bangor (17-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Boumil, ss 3 0 0 0 Vanidestine, rf 2 3 1

York, rf 3 0 1 0 Estabrook, dh 3 0 2

LaCasse, p-1b 3 0 0 0 Cox, p 0 0 0

Morin, dh 2 0 0 0 Webb, c 3 0 0 0

Beauregard, 1b-p 0 0 0 0 Hackett, 1b 4 4

Dore, cf 2 0 1 0 Gallant, lf 4 1 0

Andrade, pr 0 0 0 0 Edwards, ss 4 2 1

Dyke, 3b 0 0 0 0 Walton, 3b 4 0 1

Calder, lf 2 0 0 0 Barron, cf 2 1 1

Marcue, c 1 0 0 0 Jones, 2b 3 2 0

Sylvain, ph 1 0 0 0

Wheaton, 2b 1 0 0 0

Hisler, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 19 0 2 0 Totals 29 10 16 10

Skowhegan 000 000 – 0

Bangor 143 101 – 10

E- Boumil; LOB- Skowhegan 3, Bangor 8; 2B- Edwards; 3B- Vanidestine; HR- Hackett, Edwards; DP- Skowhegan 2, Bangor 1; S- Vanidestine 2, Estabrook, Edwards; SF- Estabrook

Skowhegan IP H R ER BB SO

LaCasse (L, 3-1) 1* 6 4 4 1 0

Beauregard 2 1/3 7 5 5 2 1

Vigue 2 3 1 0 0 0

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Cox (W, 7-0) 6 2 0 0 2 5

LaCasse faced three batters in second inning

HBP- Barron by Beauregard; WP- Vigue; T- 1:30; ATT- 350