BANGOR – On the final day of the Eastern Maine Class A regular season, the Bangor High softball team played a close game against Cony of Augusta. Despite an attempted rally, Bangor fell short.

The No. 2 Bangor Rams got another shot at the No. 3 Cony Rams Saturday in an EM Class A semifinal at the high school field. This time, however, Bangor put away Cony early in a 4-0 victory and earned a spot in the regional title game.

Bangor meets No. 1 Brewer, which beat No. 5 Skowhegan 7-1 Saturday, for the EM final at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Cony High field in Augusta, where Cony beat Bangor 3-2 on June 2.

It will be Bangor’s first trip to the Eastern Maine Class A final since 1999, and Saturday’s win was the first in a semifinal since that year, when the Rams beat Old Town 3-2 to advance to the final against Medomak Valley of Waldoboro. The Panthers beat Bangor 2-1 in eight innings for the EM Class A title.

Bangor (15-3) scored four runs in the first inning Saturday, a deficit to which Cony (14-4) couldn’t respond thanks to Bangor’s defense and pitcher Sam Bedore.

“We couldn’t afford to put any of their kids on,” Bangor coach Don Stanhope said. “They’re all very fast, very talented.”

Bedore allowed three hits and had two strikeouts and two walks. She induced 13 ground-ball outs, the key to which was her curveball.

“She did a good job of keeping the ball low and we just drove them into the ground,” Cony coach Rocky Gaslin said. “… We couldn’t apply any pressure and get a run in. The four-run lead was a big cushion for them.”

Bangor was the beneficiary of several close plays at first made possible by first baseman Amy Wadleigh, shortstop Amy Hackett and third baseman Lindsey Stevenson.

Stevenson made one particularly heads-up play in the fifth inning with two outs and runners on first and third. Cony’s Katherine Bowie laid down a bunt that seemed bound for foul territory on the left side of the infield but stayed fair at the last minute. Stevenson scooped up the ball and threw to Wadleigh in time for the final out.

“I had to bare-hand it and get that ball to first as hard as I could,” Stevenson said.

Bedore’s best came in the sixth when she used a little strategy for another key out.

Cony had a runner at third base with two outs when standout Maegan Cloutier came to the plate. Although Cloutier had flied out twice, Bedore tossed in four straight balls to put Cloutier at first and face Kayla Belanger, who had singled in the fifth.

Bedore struck out Belanger to end the inning. Bedore ended the game with a strikeout, after which she calmly jogged off the field.

“I just knew that my defense would help me out [with Belanger],” Bedore said. “I wasn’t too worried out it.”

Stevenson and Wadleigh were part of Bangor’s first-inning offensive outburst, which included five one-out hits. Each had an RBI single. Erin Dean, Hackett and Kate Freudenberger all had singles, while Freudenberger drove in a run with her hit and Eliza Estabrook had an RBI fielder’s choice.

“We kept our focus and came out strong which was huge, obviously, because we didn’t score again,” Stevenson said. “That showed who wanted it more, I think.”

Cony’s Mika Wilson, who relieved starter Jasmin Trott in the second, limited Bangor to two hits in five innings. Wilson had five strikeouts and retired 15 of the 17 batters she faced.

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

990-8287

BANGOR RAMS 4, CONY RAMS 0

Cony (14-4) Bangor (15-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Soule, 3b 3 0 0 0 Jordan, cf 3 0 0

Deeves, cf 2 0 0 0 Dean, c 3 1 1 0

A. Jones, 2b 3 0 0 0 Hackett, ss 3 1 0

Cloutier, c 2 0 0 0 Estabrook, 2b 3 1 1

Younes, pr 0 0 0 0 Freudenberger, lf 3 1

Belanger, 1b 3 0 1 0 Cosgrove, dh 2 0 0

Perry, ss 3 0 0 0 Stairs, pr-dh 1 0 0

Taylor, dh 3 0 0 0 Wadleigh, 1b 3 0 1

M. Jones, pr 0 0 0 0 Stevenson, 3b 3 0 1

Barker, rf 3 0 2 0 Tweedie, rf 2 0 0

Bowie, lf 2 0 0 0

Totals 24 0 3 0 Totals 26 4 7 3

Cony 000 000 0 – 0

Bangor 400 000 x — 4

LOB-Cony 5, Bangor 4; SB-Hackett, Wadleigh, Stevenson

Cony IP H R ER BB SO

Trott (L, 9-4) 1 5 4 4 0 1

Wilson 5 2 0 0 0 5

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Bedore (W, 9-3) 7 3 0 0 2 2

WP-Bedore; T-1:24; ATT-250 (est.)