Deering Rams roll by Bangor Win streak ends at 30

loading...

AUGUSTA – The Bangor High School baseball team often put opponents away early during its undefeated run to the Eastern Maine Class A championship.

But the Rams finally endured the down side of that equation Saturday, as Deering of Portland erupted for 11 runs in the first three innings to earn an 11-4 victory over Bangor in the state final at Morton Field.

“We walked some batters and hit some batters, and some balls got through that don’t normally,” said Bangor coach Jeff Fahey, whose team had won 10 games by the 10-run rule along its path to the state game. “Give credit to [Deering], they made us look like we didn’t know what we were doing at times, and I’m not sure that we did all the time, either.”

Deering (18-1) is now 10-0 in state championship games since 1970, 6-0 under current head coach Mike D’Andrea.

Bangor, the 2006 state champion, finishes the season with a 19-1 record after having its 30-game winning streak ended.

Deering’s championship effort was fueled by a talented sophomore class that participated last summer in the Babe Ruth World Series.

Leading that group against Bangor was lefthander Regan Flaherty, who combined with hard-throwing senior Ben Ives to pitch a seven-hitter. Flaherty (6-0) contained Bangor’s potent offense by changing speeds effectively before giving way in the fifth to Ives, a righthander who came from the side with mid-80s [mph] heat.

“I felt like I was keeping them off balance for the most part,” said Flaherty. “I didn’t have many strikeouts [three], but I felt like they weren’t taking that great swings at the ball. They put up a few runs, but it was good enough for the win.

“The plan was for me to start and then bring Ben in so he looks like he’s throwing 90.”

Flaherty, the son of University of Southern Maine baseball coach Ed Flaherty and brother of Vanderbilt University shortstop and former Deering star Ryan Flaherty, also had a productive day at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, two runs scored and three RBIs.

Classmates Matt Watson, Matt Powers and Jack Heary also had productive days at the top of the Deering batting order, combining to go 5-for-12 with seven runs, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Cleanup hitter Cam Sprague, a junior, added two singles, two runs and two RBIs.

Deering capitalized on wildness by Bangor starter Ian Edwards (7-1) to score twice in the first inning, with walks to Flaherty and Dan Brown forcing home the runs after Watson was hit by a pitch, Heary singled to right and Sprague walked to load the bases with one out.

“We wanted to make solid contact, put the pressure on them,” said Flaherty. “Unfortunately for them they gave up a few walks, and we capitalized on those walks early and often, which was huge.”

Deering chased Edwards in the second, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs on two hits, an error, two hit batters and two more bases-loaded walks. Watson’s two-run, opposite-field double to left-center highlighted the rally as Deering extended its lead to 7-0.

“I think Ian was trying to make up for his bad first inning and never really got his concentration back,” said Fahey. “They beat the best pitcher in Eastern Maine, so hats off to them.”

Bangor countered with three runs off Flaherty in the bottom of the second. Mr. Baseball finalist Gordon Webb popped a leadoff double just in front of the lunging Sprague down the left-field line, and he scored when Tom Crews one-hopped a triple off the fence near the 400-foot sign in center field. Crews scored on a two-out ground single to right by Ryan Larochelle, who then went to second on a wild pitch before scoring the final run of the inning on a single to left-center by Kyle Vanidestine.

“When we got back to 7-3 I thought with our offense we still had an opportunity to get back in the game,” said Fahey. “We just couldn’t stop them.”

Deering extended its lead to 11-3 with four runs on five hits off Bangor reliever Zane Gray in the top of the third. Flaherty pulled a two-run double down the right-field line, while Sprague and Brown each added an RBI single.

Gray, a sophomore lefthander who had pitched just seven innings this spring coming into the game, then settled down and held Deering scoreless on two hits over the next three innings before giving way to senior Alex Gallant in the seventh.

Bangor’s final run came off Ives in the sixth. Vanidestine reached on an error, went to second on a walk to Shane Walton and scored when Edwards grounded a single to right.

“We could have blown it open and we didn’t do it,” said D’Andrea. “I have no complaints about our kids, I’m proud of them, but I give the credit to Bangor for hanging in there and competing and not allowing us to blow it open. That’s a good baseball team and I’m sure we’re going to run into them again this summer.”

DEERING RAMS 11, BANGOR RAMS 4

Deering (18-1) Bangor (19-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Powers, ss 4 2 2 0 Vanidestine, rf 3 1 1

Watson, c 4 3 2 2 Walton, 3b 2 0 0

Heary, cf 4 2 1 0 Edwards, p-ss 4 0 1

Sprague, lf 4 2 2 1 Gallant, lf-p 4 0 0

Flaherty, p-1b 4 1 3 3 Webb, c 3 1 0

Candage, dh 4 0 0 0 Crews, cf 3 1 1

A. Brown, 1b 0 0 0 0 McDade, 1b 3 0 0

D. Brown, 2b 2 0 1 3 Clarke, ph 0 0 0

Dunn, 3b 2 0 0 1 Cox, ss 1 0 0 0

Brogan, ph 1 0 0 0 Gray, p 2 0 0 0

Shafran, rf 3 1 0 0 Burns, lf 1 0 0

Bartlett, ph 1 0 0 0 R. LaRochelle, dh 3 1

Kelley, 2b 0 0 0 0

Totals 33 11 11 10 Totals 29 4 7 4

Deering 254 000 0 – 11

Bangor 030 001 0 – 4

E-Powers, D. Brown; Kelley, Edwards, Walton; LOB-Deering 10; Bangor 10; 2B-Watson, Flaherty; Webb; 3B-Crews; SF-Dunn; SB-Watson 2, Sprague, Flaherty

Deering IP H R ER BB SO

Flaherty (W, 6-0) 4 2/3 6 3 3 3 2

Ives 2 1/3 1 1 0 1 3

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Edwards (L, 7-1) 1 1/3 3 7 5 5 2

Gray 4 2/3 7 4 4 0 2

Gallant 1 1 0 0 0 0

HBP-Watson, Heary (by Edwards); McDade (by Ives); WP-Ives; T-2:15; ATT-750 (est.)