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The Maine Principals’ Association on Monday revised its schedule for the Eastern Maine Class A baseball and softball championships, moving Tuesday’s games from Augusta to Mansfield Stadium in Bangor and Coffin Field in Brewer.
The changes were prompted by the geographic reality all four teams involved in the Class A finals were from Greater Bangor, meaning the four teams and their fans would have had to travel approximately 75 miles one way to the original game locations at Morton Field (baseball) and Cony High School (softball).
“We want to preserve the integrity of the tournament, so if one team involved had been [a more southern school such as] Lewiston or Brunswick or Morse or Mount Ararat, we would have kept the games at the same places,” said MPA assistant executive director Larry LaBrie. “But with all four teams from up there it really doesn’t make sense to keep the games [in Augusta].”
Under the new schedule, Brewer plays Hampden Academy for the EM A baseball title Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Mansfield, while the Class C game between George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill and Searsport has been moved to 3 p.m.
The EM A softball final between Bangor and Brewer will be played at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Coffin Field. The Class C final between Sumner of East Sullivan and Calais will remain at 7 p.m., also at Coffin Field.
“I think it’s great for the kids and the fans and the parents that we’ll be playing in our backyard,” said Brewer baseball coach Dave Morris. “But to be honest, if we had to play in Augusta we’d be happy to play there, because there are a lot of coaches and players who played very hard this spring who are not going to be playing [Tuesday], and we’re just happy for the opportunity to still have this chance.”
“It’s obviously a win-win situation for everybody,” added Hampden baseball coach McLean Poulin. “Let’s face it, the economy is not great and school budgets are tight. Just for the parents of a player to go down to Augusta they would have probably wound up spending a hundred dollars or so, and now they won’t have to spend nearly as much to see the game.”
Wednesday’s Eastern Maine championship games in Classes B and D will remain as originally scheduled.
In baseball, Katahdin of Stacyville and Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook play the Class D final at 3 p.m. at Mansfield Stadium, followed at 7 by the Old Town-Gardiner Class B clash.
In softball, Wednesday’s Class B final between Medomak Valley of Waldoboro and Winslow is set for 3 p.m., followed at 7 by the Class D game between Ashland and Bangor Christian.
LaBrie said MPA staff met to discuss this year’s playoff geographics Monday morning and quickly moved to switch the game sites after consulting with officials from Mansfield Stadium, Coffin Field, Cony High School and Morton Field.
The Class C baseball game was moved from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday because of the MPA’s policy not to have baseball and softball games in the same class played at the same time in case one school is represented in both games – as is the case this year with Class A Brewer.
eclark@bangordailynews.net
990-8045
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