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Barely more than three weeks old, the American Legion Zone 1 baseball season already is approaching decision time.
And the competition for the six berths to the zone tournament that begins Friday, July 27, at the Winkin Complex on the campus of Husson College in Bangor is fierce.
Three teams presently are battling for the No. 1 seed, Waldo and Trenton at 10-2 and Bangor at 8-3. That race could become slightly more defined Thursday evening when Waldo visits Trenton and Bangor hosts 6-5 Brewer.
And while there are bragging rights in winning the regular-season title, it may not provide a huge edge entering the playoffs, given the depth within the zone.
“This year I don’t think it matters a lot, because if you look at it we lost to Trenton 10-1 last Thursday and came back and beat them 10-0 on Sunday,” said Bangor coach Fred Lower. “We split with Waldo, we split with Penquis early on and we played one of our best games of the summer the first time we played Brewer and only won 4-1. It’s going to be a dogfight no matter who you play.”
After the top three are five teams within two games of each other, Presque Isle (7-5), Brewer, Hampden (5-6), Orono (6-7) and Penquis (5-7) – and only three of those five are likely to advance beyond the end of the regular season.
Lincoln (5-9) also has an outside shot, but the Lumber will have to climb over several teams to stake its postseason claim.
“At this point, there are about five or six teams that hold their own destiny that are all in the mix for those last couple of playoff spots,” said Penquis coach Billy Kane.
Brewer is one strike away from another win, as the Falcons led Hampden 12-10 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and a 3-2 count on batter Tim Kenerson when play was suspended after umpire Brian Currie left the field after being heckled by a fan.
That game will be resumed July 19, just before those teams meet in their rematch at Heddericg Field in Brewer.
Presque Isle, which played its first six games at home, ended a four-game losing streak Tuesday with an 18-7 win at Lincoln.
The Patriots, who host Orono on Thursday, faces a rugged four-game set this weekend, beginning with a doubleheader at Waldo on Saturday. The team then will stay in the Bangor area Saturday night before playing two nine-inning road games Sunday, at Bangor at 1 p.m. and at Hampden at 6.
Hampden may have the most challenging remaining schedule among those contenders. In addition to its “twinbill” at Brewer, the Riverdogs have a doubleheader at Trenton and single games against both Bangor and Waldo.
Orono has the fewest games left, but five of the Twins’ seven contests are on the road, as well as a season-ending home game against Bangor.
Penquis will play five of its final eight games on its home field at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft. The Navigators still have a doubleheader left at Waldo as well as a single game against Trenton, but already holds wins over both Bangor and Brewer.
“Those are good wins, and we deserved them,” said Kane. “They played well and we played well, and it all just depends on who’s playing better on a given day.
“I think all the teams are very competitive at this point, which I really think fosters success for the zone and really makes the kids want to play and makes all the games important.”
Comrades eye late-season surge
Bangor is hoping a resurgent offense will be the catalyst for a strong run toward postseason play.
The Comrades have developed a solid pitching rotation including Jim Cox, Kyle Leeman, Ian Edwards, Jordan Clarke and Alex Gallant in relief. But the Comrades endured a sluggish offensive stretch midway through their schedule, a factor that was most pronounced in a 10-1 road loss against Trenton last Thursday, when the Comrades managed just two hits off Acadians’ star lefthander Collin Henry.
Since then the Comrades have averaged nearly 12 hits per game while splitting a doubleheader with Waldo and then besting Trenton 10-0 in their rematch at Mansfield Stadium on Sunday. Leeman, Neal Russell and Edwards combined to pitch a three-hitter against the Acadians.
“We’re playing better,” said Lower. “We went through a little lull where we struggled to hit the ball, but it looks like we’re getting some people going. Last weekend had 23 hits in our doubleheader against Waldo on Saturday and then came back with 12 against Trenton the next day.
“We didn’t play real well down at Trenton, but I think that game was a shot in the arm for us, it told us we needed to get going.”
After visiting Brewer on Thursday night, the Comrades have just one more game against a team that currently has a winning record, a nine-inning home game Sunday against Presque Isle.
Fournier flourishes with Twins
American Legion baseball generally is considered a more competitive level of the sport than its high school cousin.
Most teams are all-star collections from two or more high schools, and given the nature of Maine springs many players are just rounding into top form late during their high school schedules, meaning the best of their games come out during the summer.
You’d certainly get no argument from Orono outfielder Corey Fournier on that second count.
The 2007 graduate of Old Town High School had just five hits during the spring while helping the Coyotes reach the Eastern Maine Class A semifinals. He batted .167 (5-for-30), with a .242 on-base percentage.
This summer, Fournier has emerged as a key contributor for the Twins, who at 6-7 are battling for one of the six available postseason berths available in American Legion Zone 1 with seven games left on their schedule.
After a 2-for-3 evening with two runs scored and two RBIs in an 11-4 win against Penquis at Dover-Foxcroft on Tuesday, Fournier is hitting .522 (12 for 23) from the No. 9 slot in the Orono lineup.
“I’m just more comfortable I guess,” he said. “I’m seeing the ball better. I’m not as nervous. I’m just relaxed, and I look at the gaps and try to hit it there.”
After striking out 13 times during the high school season, Fournier has struck out just three times so far this summer.
And his on-base percentage: a productive .645.
“Corey’s a good athlete but he’s never really played much baseball and now he’s getting comfortable playing,” said Orono coach David Utterback. “He’s getting more at-bats and he’s starting to get a feel for what he’s looking for up there. He used to get fooled on curveballs and now he stands in there and watches them all the way.
“He’s just done a great job of adjusting to the game of baseball.”
ZONE 1 STANDINGS
Team W-L Pct. GB
Trenton 10-2 .833 –
Waldo 10-2 .833 –
Bangor 8-3 .727 11/2
Presque Isle 7-5 .583 3
Brewer 6-5 .545 31/2
Hampden 5-6 .454 41/2
Orono 6-7 .461 41/2
Penquis 5-7 .416 5
Lincoln 5-9 .357 6
Motor City 3-9 .272 7
Calais 1-11 .083 9
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