Skowhegan can’t solve Edwards Rams shut out Indians

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BANGOR – Opening day of the high school baseball season is way too early to be in peak form – which may be a scary thought for Class A teams that will face Bangor’s Ian Edwards.

The senior righthander couldn’t have had a much stronger season debut than he did Monday, as Edwards limited Skowhegan to one hit over 6 2/3 innings to lead the two-time defending Eastern Maine champions to a 4-0 victory at Mansfield Stadium.

The 2007 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North Player of the Year struck out seven and walked two while throwing just 84 pitches.

“Ian’s a tough kid to face any day, and he kept our guys off balance,” said Skowhegan coach Rick York. “We could never get bead on him, and he was around the plate all the time. What can you say? He’s a competitor.”

Skowhegan had most of its lineup back from last year’s team that fell to Bangor in the EM quarterfinals, but couldn’t get anything going against Edwards, who also shut out the Indians on four hits during the regular season last spring.

“My velocity was there, everything felt fine,” said Edwards. “Tyler [McDade] worked really well behind the plate and called a good game just like [graduated] Gordy [Webb] did all last year, so I’m pleased with the first game definitely.”

Edwards was backed by an errorless defense featuring solid play from McDade and shortstop John Cox.

“I like throwing a zero up there and having no errors, too,” said Bangor coach Jeff Fahey. “We pride ourselves on our defense, and Ian threw strikes and we made the plays behind him.”

Bangor managed just three hits but capitalized on wildness by Skowhegan starter Cody Vigue to score twice in each of the first two innings.

Vigue struck out the side in the first, but allowed an infield hit by Shane Walton, a hit batsman and three walks, including bases-loaded passes to John Cox and Jordan Clarke that forced home Kyle Vanidestine and Walton to give Bangor a 2-0 lead.

Chad Kelley led off the Bangor second by reaching on an infield error. Vanidestine drew another walk, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch before Ryan Larochelle loaded the bases by reaching on a wild pitch after a strikeout.

Walton’s sacrifice fly to left plated Kelley, and Edwards doubled home Vanidestine with the game’s final run.

York then went to his bullpen, and junior righthander Brian Cutten delivered 4 2/3 innings of one-hit, shutout relief to keep Skowhegan close.

“Offensively we had a chance to break it open early and we didn’t,” said Fahey. “I don’t know if we relaxed a little bit or [Cutten] just kept us off balance, but he did a good job.”

But Skowhegan could not solve Edwards, who retired the first five batters he faced before Les Marcue flared a 1-2 pitch to right field for an opposite-field single in the top of the second.

Edwards then retired 10 straight batters before yielding a leadoff walk to Mike Soucier in the sixth.

When he walked Devin Sylvain with two outs in the seventh, Edwards had exceeded his 75-pitch limit for the game, so junior righthander Dan Taft came on in relief to get the game’s final out.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

RAMS 4, INDIANS 0

Skowhegan (0-1) Bangor (1-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Wheaton, 2b 3 0 0 0 Vanidestine, cf 2 2 0

Calder, cf 3 0 0 0 Larochelle, rf 3 0 0

Vigue, p-rf 3 0 0 0 Walton, 3b 2 1 1

Little, 1b 3 0 0 0 Edwards, p 2 0 1

Sylvain, 3b 2 0 0 0 Taft, p 0 0 0 0

Marcue, c 3 0 1 0 Cox, ss 2 0 0 1

Morin, rf 1 0 0 0 McDade, c 3 0 0

Cutten, p 1 0 0 0 Clarke, dh 2 0 1

Soucier, lf 1 0 0 0 Templeton, 1b 0 0 0

Hisler, ss 2 0 0 0 Savage, lf 3 0 0

Burns, lf 0 0 0 0

Kelley, 2b 3 1 0 0

Susi, 2b 0 0 0 0

Totals 22 0 1 0 Totals 22 4 3 4

Skowhegan 000 000 0 – 0

Bangor 220 000 x – 4

E-Hisler; LOB-Skowhegan 3, Bangor 6; 2B-Edwards; SF-Walton

Skowhegan IP H R ER BB SO

Vigue (L, 0-1) 1 1/3 2 4 3 4 4

Cutten 4 2/3 1 0 0 0 5

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Edwards (W, 1-0) 6 2/3 1 0 0 2 7

Taft 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

HBP-Edwards (by Vigue); WP-Vigue 2; T-1:42; ATT-100 (est.)