Old, new lead ‘Jammers past Lions

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ROCKPORT – The savvy that comes through experience and the unflappability of a varsity newcomer facing adversity for the first time played equal roles in helping Camden Hills of Rockport earn its first win of the baseball season Tuesday.

Senior first baseman Jake Grinnell provided the savvy, singling home Gordon Fischer on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning for the go-ahead run.

Freshman reliever Adam Landwehr did the rest, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh with a game-ending strikeout as the Windjammers outlasted Belfast 3-2.

With the game tied at 2-2, Fischer led off the 1-3 Windjammers’ sixth by grounding a single off the third-base bag. The ball popped right up to Belfast third baseman Bryce Ridley, but his throw to first was just late.

“I just got a couple of lucky bounces today,” said Fischer, a junior left fielder who also grounded a bad-hop RBI single over Belfast shortstop Jake Arthers in the fifth. “I was seeing the ball well, and I felt like I was getting good contact.”

Fischer stole second, went to third on a flyout to center field by Zac Dufour and scored when Grinnell fought off an 0-2 pitch for an opposite-field single to left.

“I was excited up there,” said Grinnell. “I just had to calm myself down and keep my head and eyes and shoulders on the ball and follow through.”

Landwehr, who began the spring on the junior varsity roster, retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the seventh – the second on a diving catch by reserve right fielder Chris Watts – before walks to Cote Ward and Josh Beal around a ground single up the middle by Matt Steinart loaded the bases.

But the righthander ended the game with a strikeout of Belfast leadoff hitter Jack Davis, Landwehr’s fourth strikeout in 2 2/3 innings of relief.

“He showed a lot of composure with the bases loaded in the last inning,” said Camden Hills coach Tom Stammen.

Camden Hills has struggled offensively early in this Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B season and managed just five hits off Belfast lefthander Derrick Bernosky – none until the fourth inning.

Belfast, meanwhile, stranded 14 runners, including nine in the first four innings against Camden Hills starter Gabe Blodgett and three more against Landwehr in the seventh.

“Some games you just survive,” said Stammen. “The last game we played against Lincoln Academy we left 11 runners on and had nine hits and scored three runs. Sometimes, like I told the kids, those types of things have a tendency to even out.”

Belfast (1-3) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth. Ward was hit by a pitch to start the inning and sacrificed to second by Steinart before scoring on Davis’ two-out single to right. Bernosky doubled and Arthers walked to load the bases before Davis scored on a walk to Tyler Bowen.

Camden Hills got a run back in the bottom of the inning. Phil Curll drew a leadoff walk before Blodgett singled to right. Fischer followed with a sharp grounder that suddenly bounced high over Arthers’ head for a single that drove home Curll.

The Windjammers tied the game an inning later, as Colby Adolphsen reached on an infield hit, stole second base and scored thanks to a pair of Belfast errors – the Lions’ only miscues of the game.

Fischer was Camden Hills’ lone repeat hitter, while Arthers doubled and singled and Steinart singled twice for Belfast.

“Today we survived the first three or four innings with runners on base, and then we had to survive that last inning,” Stammen said. “Gabe didn’t pitch his best game, but he kept us in it and then Adam came in and did a great job for a freshman.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

WINDJAMMERS 3, LIONS 2

Belfast (1-3) Camden Hills (1-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Davis, 2b 4 1 1 1 Calloway, cf 3 0 0

Bernosky, p-rf 4 0 1 0 Curll, 2b 1 0

Arthers, ss 2 0 2 0 Kennedy, 2b 1 0 0

Bowen, cf 2 0 0 1 Blodgett, p-3b 3 0 0

Dutton, lf 4 0 0 0 Fischer, lf 3 1 1

Ridley, 3b-p 4 0 0 0 Dufour, c 3 0 0

Ward, 1b 1 1 1 0 Grinnell, 1b 3 0 1

Peters, pr 0 0 0 0 Crockett, pr 0 0 0

Steinart, c 3 0 2 0 Watts, rf 0 0 0

Beal, rf 3 0 0 0 Gartley, 3b 1 0 0

Walker, 3b 0 0 0 0 Landwehr, p 1 0 0

Hart, rf-1b 2 0 0 0

Adolphsen, dh 2 1 1 0

Hunt, ss 0 0 0 0

Totals 27 2 7 2 Totals 23 3 5 2

Belfast 002 000 0 – 2

Camden Hills 000 111 x – 3

E-Arthers 2; Fischer; LOB-Belfast 14, Camden Hills 4; 2B-Bernosky, Arthers; S-Steinart; SB-Fischer, Gartley, Adolphsen

Belfast IP H R ER BB SO

Bernosky (L, 0-2) 5 2/3 5 3 2 2 6

Ridley 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

Camden Hills IP H R ER BB SO

Blodgett 4 1/3 5 2 2 6 5

Landwehr (W, 1-0) 2 2/3 2 0 0 2 4

HBP-Ward (by Blodgett); WP-Bernosky; T-2:00; ATT-100 (est.)