Brower powers Waldo by Hampden Player from Union responds for Wildcats in his first game of year

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HAMPDEN – Lucas Brower hadn’t seen a pitch in a game situation since last summer, when he played on a Senior Babe Ruth baseball team in Camden.

And he had never hit a home run before.

But two pitches into his first American Legion Zone 1 contest Wednesday evening, he belted a pinch-hit, two-run home run to propel the Waldo Wildcats to a season-opening 7-6 victory over Hampden at Bordick Park.

The teams were locked in a 4-4 tie through five innings when Ryan Shute opened the Waldo sixth with his third walk of the game off Hampden starter Chris Morris.

Up came Brower, a Union resident who attends the Hyde School in Bath – which does not field a varsity baseball team. After taking the first pitch for a ball, he drilled a shot over the left-field fence to give the Wildcats the lead for good.

“I didn’t know if it was out,” said Brower, whose only swings this year before his home run came in a handful of Legion practices. “I was running hard. I saw it was gone when I was almost to second base.”

Another pinch-hitter, Philip Curll, plated an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh.

“It’s nice to have two kids come off the bench and make contact with the ball,” Waldo coach Emery Shute said. “It’s a coach’s dream I guess, and the kids are as happy as a lark.”

That insurance run proved to be vital, as Hampden rallied in the bottom of the seventh for a pair of runs on two one-out walks by Waldo reliever Tyson McHatten, an RBI single by Tim Kenerson and a run producing fielder’s choice by Patrick Stephens.

Waldo righthander Josh Nickerson, who had come on to face Stephens, walked the next batter but followed with a game-ending strikeout to earn the save.

McHatten earned the win, allowing two hits and two runs in three innings of relief in support of starter Gabe Blodgett.

Morris was solid on the mound for Hampden, working six innings in his first appearance since breaking his wrist during Hampden Academy’s second preseason game of the high school season.

Caleb Ashey hit an RBI double to give Waldo a 1-0 lead in the top of the first and a sacrifice fly as part of a two-run rally in the third. John Wentworth also had an RBI double in the third.

Hampden (0-2) tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Shawn Smith blasted a two-run home run to left after a Cody Johndro single, and Joel Neill followed with a two-out RBI double to tie the game.

Hampden took its only lead in the fourth as Smith plated Justin Kelsey with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice, but Waldo tied the game in the fifth when Matt Nickerson singled, went to second on a balk, stole third and scored on Brendan Gardner’s sacrifice fly.

Wentworth paced Waldo’s nine-hit attack with two doubles and two singles, while Matt Nickerson singled twice, walked twice, stole three bases and scored three runs.

Johndro singled twice for Hampden, while Ian Lee scored two runs for the River Dogs.

WILDCATS 7, RIVER DOGS 6

Waldo (1-0) Hampden (0-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

M. Nickerson, ss 2 3 2 0 Smith, cf-p 4 3

Cummons, cf 1 0 0 0 Morris, p-cf 4 0 0

Miles, cf 2 0 0 0 Lee, c 3 2 0 0

Ashey, dh 2 0 1 2 Neill, lf 3 1 1

Gardner, 1b 3 2 1 1 Kenerson, 1b 3 0 1

Wentworth, 3b 4 0 4 1 Perry, pr 0 0

Arthers, rf 3 0 0 0 Stephens, 3b 3 0 1

Curll, ph 0 0 0 1 Kelsey, ss 3 1 0

Jean, lf 3 0 0 0 Harding, rf 2 0 0

J. Nickerson, lf-p 0 0 0 0 Estes, rf 2 0

Shute, 2b 0 1 0 0 Johndro, 2b 3 1 0

Adams, c 2 0 0 0

Brower, ph 1 1 1 2

Totals 23 7 9 7 Totals 30 6 8 6

Waldo 102 012 1-7

Hampden 003 100 2-6

E-Shute, M. Nickerson; Harding, Kenerson, Kelsey; LOB-Waldo 6, Hampden 9; 2B-Wentworth 2, Ashey; Morris; 3B-Neill; HR-Brower; Smith; DP-Stephens to Kenerson to Stephens, Stephens to Kenerson; S-Cummons; SF-Ashey, Gardner, Curll; SB-M. Nickerson 3

Waldo IP H R ER BB SO

Blodgett 3 1/3 6 4 4 1 3

McHatten (W, 1-0) 3 2 2 2 2 1

J. Nickerson (S, 1) 2/3 0 0 0 1 1

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Morris (L, 0-1) 6 8 6 6 6 4

Smith 1 1 1 0 0 0

HBP-Stephens (by Blodgett); WP-McHatten, Morris; BK-McHatten; Morris; PB-Adams; T-2:05; ATT-75 (est.)