Brewer and Hampden Academy, two programs that have endured lengthy droughts since winning their last regional championships, will square off Tuesday with the Eastern Maine Class A title on the line.

Under a revised schedule announced Monday by the Maine Principals’ Association, Brewer and Hampden will meet at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor at 7 p.m., following the 3 p.m. EM Class C final between George Stevens of Academy of Blue Hill and Searsport.

Katahdin of Stacyville and Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook play for the Class D crown Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Mansfield, followed at 7 by the Class B final between Old Town and Gardiner.

Top-ranked Brewer (16-2), seeking its first EM crown in 20 years, is back in the Class A regional final for the second straight season after falling to Bangor 4-0 a year ago.

The Witches hovered near the top of the Heal Point ratings throughout this season, and backed up their ranking with an 8-3 quarterfinal win over Edward Little of Auburn and an 11-1, five-inning semifinal victory over Brunswick.

Sixth-seeded Hampden Academy (13-6) last won an Eastern Maine crown in 1985 in Class B.

But the Broncos have surged late this season, winning six straight games and eight of their last nine, highlighted by a postseason run that featured a come-from-behind victory over two-time defending champ Bangor in the quarterfinals and a semifinal win at No. 2 Cony of Augusta.

Brewer and Hampden split two regular-season meetings, Brewer winning 10-1 in Hampden on April 28 and Hampden outlasting the Witches 6-5 in nine innings in Brewer on May 19.

Brewer is expected to pitch senior righthander Greg Higgins (8-0) against Hampden, while the Broncos likely will counter with senior lefty Brennan Perry (4-2).

The Class B final matches two teams who advanced to the semifinals in Eastern Maine Class A a year ago, as No. 2 Gardiner (15-3) faces No. 4 Old Town (13-6).

Both teams switched to Class B based on enrollment this year and have emerged from a balanced Eastern Maine field to reach the regional final.

Old Town last won an Eastern Maine baseball title in 1993, while Gardiner was last crowned a champion in baseball in 1947, when the Tigers won the large-school state championship.

Old Town and Gardiner did not meet this season.

Coach Dave Utterback’s Old Town club has used timely hitting, solid defense and pitching depth – particularly out of the bullpen – to score three postseason victories.

“The last two games against Caribou and John Bapst we found out that when we execute offensively, defensively, with baserunning and pitching, we going to be pretty tough to beat,” said Utterback.

Gardiner boasts a productive batting order led by Gatorade Player of the Year Kyle Stilphen. The Gardiner shortstop, bound for the University of Maine this fall, hit better than .500 during the season.

“A key for us will be to limit free baserunners and extra outs for Gardiner,” Utterback said.

In Class C, GSA (16-2) and Searsport (15-3) have met in the playoffs each of the last four years. GSA won regional title games over the Vikings in 2004 and 2005, while Searsport posted wins in the 2006 semifinals and in last year’s final.

Not only did Searsport win those last two games, but Vikings’ righthander Nate Adams – who is expected to get the start today against – shut out the Eagles in both contests, including a 2-0 no-hit victory in the 2007 EM title game.

GSA swept the two-time defending champ Vikings during this regular season, winning 8-4 on May 2 and 4-2 on May 14.

In Class D, No. 2 Katahdin (15-1) and No. 4 Southern Aroostook (12-5) meet for the second time in 2008. Katahdin earned the victory when the teams played in early May.

The neighboring rivals are coming off impressive semifinal victories.

Katahdin scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to oust defending state champion Deer Isle-Stonington 11-10, while Southern Aroostook avenged two of its regular-season losses with a 14-2, five-inning win over Ashland, a regional finalist in 2007.

Katahdin seeks its first EM title since 1993, while Southern Aroostook eyes its first regional crown since 1999.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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