Witches ride momentum to victory

loading...

BREWER – Just 10 days ago, Brewer’s Witches jumped on Edward Little pitching early, seized momentum, and never let it go.

In Thursday afternoon’s rematch at the Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal game on Heddericg Field, the top-seeded Witches scored twice in the first, but the Red Eddies of Auburn weren’t about to let history repeat itself.

No. 8 Edward Little scored three in the top of the fourth to take a one-run lead, but Brewer got all three back in the bottom of the same inning and tacked on more insurance in later innings en route to an 8-3 victory.

“The first games of the playoffs are tough ones to win,” said Brewer coach David Morris, whose Witches are 15-2. “We were fortunate to come back with some runs quick because momentum was up for grabs.”

Brewer grabbed it back after sandwiching two walks around a strikeout in the fourth. A Shun Sasaki single up the middle loaded the bases and a run scored on Chase Daniels’ sacrifice fly to center. Left fielder Eric White followed with the first of his two big hits with a two-run double into the left field corner on the first pitch – and last for the game – from starting pitcher Cody Goddard.

“We noticed he didn’t throw many back-to-back breaking balls, so after he threw one, we’d look fastball,” said White.

His second big hit – a two-run, two-out single to shallow right center in the sixth – also prompted a pitching change, and gave the Witches their final margin (8-3).

White came up just as big for Brewer in the field, making three putouts, one of which was a shoestring catch of a sinking liner to left on a dead run toward the foul line with nobody out and a runner on first in the fifth. The Eddies would strand runners at first and second with none scoring.

“We felt we could hit with them, but they played some outstanding defense, especially on the left side,” said coach Scott Annear, whose Eddies wind up the season 10-8.

Brewer will host No. 4 Brunswick Saturday.

Almost lost in the battle for momentum was the solid outing turned in by Brewer starting pitcher Greg Higgins, who was touched up for three runs on four hits – two of them triples – in the fourth.

“This is a real good hitting team and we knew that. They’re a good fastball hitting team so I knew I’d have to go with a lot of offspeed pitches and keep them guessing,” said Higgins, now 9-0. “I got behind in the count a couple times that inning and they knew I had to go fastball, so they were sitting on it.”

After Kyle Buissere’s leadoff triple, Corey LaRue and Eric Prue traded places with back-to-back triples to right center.

Higgins rediscovered his rhythm and blanked E.L. on four hits the next three innings. The senior righty allowed seven hits and no walks. He threw 55 of 82 pitches for strikes and notched one strikeout.

“Usually my fastball has good velocity and it’s my best pitch, but it was more location and the curve today,” said Higgins. “I tried to paint the corners and keep ’em guessing.”

aneff@bangordailynews.net

990-8205

WITCHES 8, RED EDDIES 3

Edward Little (10-8) Brewer (15-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Lutz, ss 4 0 0 0 Sasaki, cf 4 2 0

Buissere, cf 4 1 2 0 Daniels, dh 1 1 1

LaRue, c 3 1 1 1 O’Connell, 2b 0 0 0

Prue, 2b 3 1 1 0 White, lf 3 1 4

Flynn, 1b-p 3 0 1 0 Swett, 1b 4 0 2

Muise, 3b-1b 3 0 0 1 Thoms, c 4 0 0

Goddard, p-3b 3 0 1 0 Higgins, p 3 1

Ciriello, rf 3 0 1 0 Bissell, rf 1 1 0

Mains, lf 3 0 2 0 Kotredes, 3b 2 0 0

Smith, ss 1 2 0 0

Totals 29 3 9 2 Totals 23 8 7 8

Edward Little 000 300 0 – 3

Brewer 200 312 x – 8

E-Lutz; O’Connell; LOB-EL 4; Brewer 6; 2B-Buissere; White; 3B-LaRue, Prue; Swett; HR-Higgins (2); DP-Brewer 1; S-Kotredes; SF-Daniels; SB-Daniels 2, Bissell, White 2

Edward Little IP H R ER BB SO

Goddard (L, 1-3) 3 2/3 4 5 5 3 3

Flynn 1 1/3 3 3 3 2 1

Muise 1 0 0 0 0 0

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Higgins (W, 9-0) 7 9 3 3 0 1

HBP-Daniels (by Goddard), Bissell (by Goddard); T-1:47; ATT-145