Rams renew rivalry with ‘Dogs in final Bangor, unbeaten Portland both on a roll

An historic high school baseball rivalry will be renewed for the first time in 11 years Saturday when Bangor and Portland square off for the 2006 Class A state championship at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

Both teams enter the noontime clash on a roll. Portland, the preseason favorite statewide, cruised through its Western Maine schedule with an 18-0 record, capped off by a 7-3 win over Gorham in Tuesday’s regional final.

Bangor, top-seeded in Eastern A, dropped a pair of one-run decisions to Skowhegan and Brewer midway through the season but has won 10 straight since then. The streak includes a 6-2 victory over Brewer in the semifinals and a 10-0, six-inning win over Skowhegan in Tuesday’s final to enter Saturday’s game at 17-2.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Bangor senior first baseman Scott Hackett after the EM final. “We’ve had some talks about the last time we won this. We wanted to do this, but we’re not satisfied yet. We’ve still got one more game to win, and then we can relax.”

After winning their first regional title since 2000, coach Jeff Fahey’s Rams are now in search of the program’s first state championship since 1997.

And the fact the matchup comes against Portland adds an additional context. These teams have met seven times previously for the state title, with Portland holding a 4-3 edge in the series.

But Bangor has won three of the last four meetings, including a dramatic 1-0, eight-inning victory in 1995. Matt Kinney, who had just been drafted in the sixth round by the Boston Red Sox, pitched a one-hitter for the Rams, who scratched out the winning run on a walk, a wild pitch and a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt.

This year’s clash will match up the two most balanced teams in the state.

Coach Mike Rutherford’s Portland team features most of the players from last summer’s American Legion state champion Andrews Post club. The Bulldogs hit .368 as a team during the regular season, and are led offensively by outfielders Joey Martin, Joe Fessenden and Scott Nappi, catcher David Nealley, third baseman Devin McNeill and second baseman John O’Brion.

Junior lefthander Ian Boyle (6-0) is expected to get the pitching start against Bangor. A first-year varsity player for Portland, Boyle has featured an effective changeup while allowing just two runs this season. In his last outing, Boyle pitched a one-hitter as the Bulldogs defeated Deering of Portland 6-0 in the regional semifinals.

Fessenden (7-0) also is expected to be ready to go for Portland after pitching the Bulldogs past Gorham on Tuesday.

Bangor also has hit well over .300 as a team this spring, an offensive effort led by Hackett – who went 4-for-4 with a home run, double and four RBIs in the EM final – and sophomore shortstop Ian Edwards, both of whom carry averages topping .500 into the state final.

The Rams have the option of going with either Kyle Leeman (6-0, four saves) or Jim Cox (7-0) in the title game. Cox pitched a two-hitter against Skowhegan this week, while Leeman earned the victory in relief in a quarterfinal win against Cony of Augusta and then pitched a four-hitter against Brewer.

Bangor’s defense, particularly the infield of Hackett, second baseman Ryan Jones, Edwards, third baseman Shane Walton and catcher Gordon Webb, also has been a key to the team’s success. The Rams have allowed just nine unearned runs in 19 games.