HAMPDEN – Wednesday night’s Class A baseball game at Bordick Park was an exercise in extra bases for the Bangor Rams.

Eight of their nine hits were doubles, with five of those baserunners scoring as the two-time defending regional champions remained undefeated with a 7-0 win over Hampden Academy.

The victory lifted Bangor to 5-0 on the season and sets up an early showdown at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor on Friday night against rival Brewer, the team the Rams defeated in last year’s Eastern Maine final.

Brewer also went to 5-0 on Wednesday by scratching out an 8-7, nine-inning victory over Lawrence of Fairfield.

Bangor’s Shane Walton and Kyle Vanidestine each reached Hampden starter Shawn Smith for two doubles, while Ryan Larochelle, John Cox, Tyler McDade and winning pitcher Jordan Clarke each added a two-base hit.

“I think we just came out ready to hit the ball,” said Walton, whose team managed just six hits in its previous game, a come-from-behind 5-4 survival of then-winless Mt. Blue of Farmington.

“Smith’s a good pitcher, and we just zoned him up. We were patient at the plate, made him throw strikes, put the ball out there and just got what we could.”

On at least three occasions Hampden outfielders lost sight of Bangor hits in the evening sky.

“It is hard to see out there,” said Vanidestine, Bangor’s center fielder. “I think the lights at Mansfield are two times as high as these ones, so the ball gets hit over these lights easily and it’s definitely tough to see.”

Clarke (2-0) had a no-hitter through 4 2/3 innings before Hampden No. 9 hitter Ryan Lindemann singled solidly to left-center. Nolan Turner then singled up the middle off the glove of Bangor shortstop John Cox, but Cox quickly tracked down the ball in shallow center field and threw out Lindemann at third base.

Clarke struck out four and walked three before giving way to relievers Josh Hansen and Darren Casey-Covell, who each pitched a scoreless inning.

“I was a little wild in the first inning,” said Clarke, “but once I settled in and could finally throw my curveball for strikes I was able to keep them off-balance pretty well.”

Vanidestine and Larochelle hit back-to-back doubles to open the Bangor third. Vanidestine scored on a groundout by Walton, and Larochelle gave the Rams a 2-0 lead by scoring on a wild pitch.

Chad Kelley reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored when Vanidestine doubled to right-center to make it 3-0 in the fourth.

Walton led off the Bangor fifth with a double to right-center, went to third on a pop double to left by Cox that was lost in the night sky. Both runners scored when Clarke lined a double down the left-field line to break the game open.

“There were two people on, so I was just trying to put the ball in play to see if we could get something going,” said Clarke. “It was a high fastball inside, I turned on it and it was a line drive down the line.”

Walton added an RBI double in the sixth, and Tyler McDade hit a two-out double in the seventh before pinch-runner Matt Kenny scored on a misplayed drive to right-center by Kelley.

“Tonight from Kyle right down through the lineup we swung the bats,” said Bangor coach Jeff Fahey. “We hit the ball really hard, even on some of the outs. There weren’t many cheap shots out there.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

RAMS 7, BRONCOS 0

Bangor (5-0) Hampden Acad. (3-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Vanidestine, cf 4 2 2 1 Turner, ss 3 0

Larochelle, rf 4 1 1 0 McCluskey, 2b 2 0

Walton, 3b 3 1 2 2 Smith, p-cf 1 0 0

Edwards, 1b 4 0 1 0 Tardiff, 1b 3 0 0

Templeton, 1b 0 0 0 0 Stephens, c 1 0

Cox, ss 2 1 1 0 Dolan, rf 0 0 0

Clarke, p 3 0 1 2 Kirk, dh-p 2 0 0

Hansen, p 0 0 0 0 M. Lindemann, ph 1 0

Susi, ph 1 0 0 0 Miller, 3b 3 0 0

Casey-Covell, p 0 0 0 0 Perry, lf 2 0

Savage, lf 4 0 0 0 Kelsey, ph 0 0 0

McDade, c 2 0 1 0 R. Lindemann, cf 3 0

Kenny, pr, 0 1 0 0

Brookings, c 0 0 0 0

Kelley, 2b 4 1 0 0

Totals 31 7 9 5 Totals 21 0 3 0

Bangor 002 121 1 – 7

Hampden Acad. 000 000 0 – 0

E-Dolan; LOB-Bangor 9, Hampden Acad. 7; 2B-Vanidestine 2, Walton 2, Larochelle, Cox, Clarke, McDade; DP-Bangor 1; SB-Vanidestine, Kelley; Turner

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Clarke (W, 2-0) 5 2 0 0 3 4

Hansen 1 0 0 0 1 1

Casey-Covell 1 1 0 0 1 1

Hampden Acad. IP H R ER BB SO

Smith (L, 2-1) 5 1/3 8 6 6 5 2

Kirk 1 2/3 1 1 0 0 1

HBP-Vanidestine (by Smith); WP-Smith; T-1:45; ATT-100 (est.)