SKOWHEGAN – As a catcher who helped the University of Southern Maine win an NCAA Division III College World Series during his playing days, Rick York can appreciate the pitching qualities Greg Higgins will bring to his alma mater’s baseball program beginning next season.

The Skowhegan Area High School coach also can appreciate what Higgins is achieving in the here and now, after the senior righthander flirted with a no-hitter Friday afternoon while pitching Brewer to a 3-1 victory over his Indians at Memorial Field.

“When you look at a 6-foot-4 man among boys who can really throw BBs and also had his curveball working the way he did today, we just didn’t have an answer for him,” York said.

Higgins mastered the strike zone – and the Indians’ lineup – with a blend of fastballs, sliders and curves. He went to just one three-ball count during his 77-pitch performance, and the only hit he allowed came with one out in the seventh when Les Marcue blooped a single to center.

“I didn’t think about [the no-hitter] until someone mentioned it in the fifth or sixth inning,” said Higgins, who struck out five, walked one and hit three batters.

“I was just going out there trying to get our team back in to hit just as fast as we could.”

A throwing error by the Witches in the seventh allowed Skowhegan (11-4) to score an unearned run, but Higgins got Mike Soucier to fly out to right with the tying run on first base to end the game and improve his season’s record to 7-0.

“The last four games Greg has pitched he’s really been on, but I think this is probably the best game he’s pitched,” said Brewer coach Dave Morris.

“What Greg did was get ahead in the count, and then he could dictate what they were going to hit and what they weren’t going to hit.”

Brewer (13-2) needed a dominant outing from Higgins to overcome a solid effort from Skowhegan’s Cody Vigue. The junior righthander allowed two earned runs on six hits – including two singles by Brewer center fielder Shun Sasaki – while striking out one batter and walking three.

Brewer broke through against Vigue to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the third. No. 9 hitter Caleb Smith singled sharply to right and scored when Eric White launched a double to the fence in right-center field. After Chase Daniels walked and Prentiss Swett reached on an error to load the bases, Jon Thoms delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single to center.

“The last three games Jon’s come up with some big hits for us,” said Morris.

Higgins made that lead stand up to cap off a most productive four days for Brewer, as pointworthy victories over Bangor and Skowhegan should separate the Witches from what had been a four-team logjam – with Skowhegan, Bangor and Cony of Augusta – atop the Eastern Maine Class A standings when the week began.

“I think that’s just a product of how hard these kids have worked and that they believe in each other,” said Morris. “We had a motto going into the season, ‘confidence in yourself and faith in each other,’ and I think that’s what you saw this week.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

WITCHES 3, INDIANS 1

Brewer (13-2) Skowhegan (11-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

White, 3b 4 1 1 1 Wheaton, 2b 3 0 0

Daniels, lf 1 1 0 0 Calder, cf 3 0 0

Swett, 1b 3 0 0 0 Vigue, p 2 1 0

Thoms, dh 3 0 1 2 Little, 1b 3 0 0

Hutchins, 2b 0 0 0 0 Marcue, c 2 0 0

Bissell, rf 2 0 0 0 Sylvain, 3b 2 0 0

Higgins, p 3 0 1 0 Labrie, pr 0 0 0

O’Connell, pr 0 0 0 0 Morin, rf 2 0

Sasaki, cf 3 0 2 0 Soucier, lf 3 0 0

Bush, c 2 0 0 0 Hisler, ss 1 0 0

Smith, ss 3 1 1 0

Totals 24 3 6 3 Totals 21 1 1 0

Brewer 003 000 0 – 3

Skowhegan 000 000 1 – 1

E-Sylvain, Marcue, Wheaton; Hutchins; LOB-Brewer 4; Skowhegan 4; 2B-White; DP-Brewer 1, Skowhegan 2; S-Sylvain; SB-Sasaki

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Higgins (W, 7-0) 7 1 1 0 1 6

Skowhegan IP H R ER BB SO

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

HBP-Bissel (by Vigue); Marcue, Hisler, Vigue (by Higgins); T-1:45; ATT-200 (est.)