BANGOR – Thirteen days of inspired baseball have rallied the Hampden American Legion baseball team from desperation to celebration.

The fifth-seeded Riverdogs used a nine-run fifth-inning to defeat No. 4 Steamboat Petroleum of Waldo County 9-7 Monday night and win the first American Legion Zone 1 championship in the program’s five-year history.

And to think less than two weeks earlier coach Jason Folsom’s club was 7-9 and wondering if it would even qualify for postseason play.

“The way it was looking, we weren’t in very good position,” said Hampden shortstop Cody Johndro, “so we basically got together and talked to each other and said we’re way better than this and we’re going to pull through and do this.”

Hampden (15-10) will open state tournament play at Maguire Field in Augusta at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against the Zone 2 runnerup, which has yet to be determined.

Steamboat Petroleum, which earned its first trip to the states since 1997, will play the Zone 2 champion at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on Morton Field in Augusta.

Coach Emery Shute’s club (16-9) had forced a winner-take-all second game with a 4-3 victory over Hampden earlier in the day, then held a 3-0 lead through four innings of the championship game.

Jack Davis drew a leadoff walk in the first, stole second and scored on a suicide squeeze single by Jake Arthers.

Davis singled to start the third and scored on starting pitcher Josh Nickerson’s two-out double to left-center. Tyler Miles then grounded a single to right to drive home Nickerson.

Hampden then erupted in the fifth, sending 14 batters to the plate to score nine runs on nine hits and three Steamboat Petroleum errors.

Nolan Turner got it going with a one-out double, and after he scored on an error Shawn Smith notched an infield hit before Josh Tardiff, Patrick Stephens and Cody Miller followed with consecutive RBI singles to give Hampden the lead.

One out later Derek Amoroso hit a two-run double to center. Jordan Richards singled home Amoroso and then scored in front of Turner when he singled and came all the way around on a throwing error.

“We didn’t really have it going at first, but it only takes a couple hits strung together and then all of a sudden everyone’s into it,” said Smith.

Smith scattered seven hits over seven innings to earn his second pitching victory of the tournament.

He struck out five and walked one before coming out with Hampden holding a 9-3 lead.

Steamboat Petroleum rallied with four runs in the eighth, with Gabe Blodgett singling home two runs and Miles and Derrick Bernosky adding RBI singles.

Amoroso came on for Hampden in the ninth and retired Steamboat Petorleum in order to save Hampden’s eighth win in its last nine games.

Hampden also played errorless defense, in contrast to Steamboat Petroleum’s five errors during the game.

“It helps that we’re on the turf so we always get the charity hops,” said Turner, the Riverdogs’ second baseman, “but everybody’s been working hard and we’re just playing great baseball right now.”

Steamboat Petroleum got a strong outing in the early game from righthander Dale Dutton, who struck out eight and walked just one in a complete-game effort.

“I was just mixing my pitches and trying to throw strikes, and we just played great defense,” said Dutton, who was seeing his first mound duty in nearly two weeks.

Dutton scattered 10 hits, as did Hampden righty Jordan Richards, who struck out five and walked one while pitching the distance.

Hampden reached Dutton for single runs in the first and second, but Nickerson hit an RBI single in the fourth and Miles Davee grounded a two-run single up the middle in the fifth to give Steamboat Petroleum its first lead.

Steamboat made it 4-2 in the sixth on an opposite-field RBI single by Bernosky.

Hampden closed to within one run in the seventh when Brennan Perry tripled and scored on an RBI single by Turner.

Steamboat Petroleum preserved the win by turning double plays in each of the final two innings.

(Monday’s First Game)

Hampden 110 000 100 – 3 10 2

Steamboat Petrol. 000 121 01x – 4 10 0

Richards and Stephens; Dutton and Davee

(Monday’s Second Game)

Hampden (15-10) 000 090 000 – 9 13 0

Steamboat Pet. (16-9) 102 000 040 – 7 11 5

Smith, Richards (8), Amoroso (9) and Amoroso, Stephens (9); Nickerson, Arthers (5), Curll (5), Bernosky (9) and Adams