Indians’ Vigue baffles Bangor

loading...

SKOWHEGAN – When Cody Vigue pitched against Bangor in the first game of the 2008 high school baseball season, he didn’t make it out of the second inning.

When he got another chance against the Rams, Bangor barely made it to second base.

Vigue pitched a three-hitter Monday afternoon as Skowhegan edged the reigning Eastern Maine Class A champions 2-1 at Memorial Field.

The win was the Indians’ eighth straight since falling to Bangor 4-0 on April 21 – a game in which Vigue threw 41 pitches in the first inning alone and left in the second after allowing four walks, a hit batsman and four runs.

In the rematch, the junior righthander needed just 87 pitches to complete the game while striking out six and walking one in outdueling Bangor’s Jordan Clarke.

“Last Friday after we played Oxford Hills, me and [assistant] coach [Al] Wilson didn’t know which Cody we were going to today, Vigue or Williamson,” said Skowhegan head coach Rick York. “We decided to stay with our rotation, and I asked Cody [Vigue] before we made the decision if he wanted another shot, and he wholeheartedly said yes.

“Coach Wilson and I decided that the kid was tough and to see how he’d handle this one, and he had a great game. I’m proud of him.”

While Vigue retired the side in order only twice, he never faced more than four batters in an inning and never allowed the leadoff batter in an inning to reach base.

“I just tried to hit my strike zone and let my defense play behind me,” said Vigue.

That Skowhegan defense made just one error, and Vigue made just a couple of pitching mistakes – one that cost him, and one that didn’t.

With two outs in the fourth inning he left a fastball over the middle of the plate that Bangor’s Shane Walton skied over the fence in right-center for solo home run that represented the only time the Rams advanced a runner past first base.

Two innings later, Bangor’s Ian Edwards blasted a first-pitch fastball to the deepest part of the park, but Skowhegan’s Andy Calder caught the ball just in front of the 400-foot sign in straightaway center field.

“He was keeping those guys off balance,” said York. “He was keeping his fastball low. He made a couple of mistakes, and Walton made him pay and you can’t hit a ball farther than Ian Edwards did and keep it in the park. It’s breaks like that that help you beat a great team like Bangor.”

Vigue needed to be at his best, because Clarke was equally brilliant for 7-2 Bangor. The junior righthander allowed only four hits while striking out two, walking no one and hitting a batter in a 73-pitch, six-inning effort.

“Jordan pitched a great game,” said Bangor coach Jeff Fahey. “I though that was the best game he’s pitched since last year. They had two unearned runs, they shouldn’t have scored.”

Skowhegan took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Les Marcue led off by reaching on an infield error, and scored thanks to an errant outfield throw after a double to right-center by Devin Sylvain.

Marcus Morin sacrificed Sylvain to third, and Mike Soucier followed with an RBI single to right.

“We couldn’t take advantage of any of their miscues and they did against us,” said Fahey. “They kind of beat us at our own game.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

INDIANS 2, RAMS 1

Bangor (7-2) Skowhegan (8-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Vanidestine, cf 3 0 1 0 Wheaton, 2b 2 0

Larochelle, rf 3 0 1 0 Calder, cf 2 0

Edwards, 1b 3 0 0 0 Vigue, p 3 0 0

Cox, ss 3 0 0 0 Little, 1b 3 0 0

Clarke, p 3 0 0 0 Marcue, c 3 1 0

Walton, 3b 2 1 1 1 Sylvain, 3b 2 1 0

Savage, dh 3 0 0 0 Morin, rf 1 0 0

Warren, pr 0 0 0 0 Soucier, lf 2 0 1

Burns, lf 0 0 0 0 Hisler, ss 1 0 0

McDade, c 3 0 0 0

Kelley, 2b 2 0 0 0

Totals 25 1 3 1 Totals 19 2 4 1

Bangor 000 100 0 – 1

Skowhegan 020 000 x – 2

E-Cox, Vanidestine; Hisler; LOB-Bangor 4, Skowhegan 5; 2B-Sylvain; HR-Walton; S-Calder, Morin, Wheaton

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Clarke (L, 2-1) 6 4 2 0 0 2

Skowhegan IP H R ER BB SO

Vigue (W, 2-1) 7 3 1 1 1 6

HBP-Hisler (by Clarke); T-1:30; ATT-175 (est.)