At the outset of the season, it was expected as that the race for the two State Tournament berths in Zone 1 was going to be a dogfight.

That is exactly the way it has shaped up although Brewer’s defending state champion Falcons are again in their accustomed spot atop the standings.

Brewer has won the zone title outright the previous three seasons after sharing it with Mount Desert Island four years ago.

Brewer is 9-2 but 8-4 Bangor has closed to within a game and a half. And the battle for second is a gem with four teams entering Friday’s play separated by just three games. MDI was third at 6-5 followed by Old Town-Orono at 4-5 and Skowhegan at 4-6. Pittsfield is 1-10.

“I’d say we’re in the best position right now, especially if (pitcher-shortstop) Ronnie Hewes stays healthy,” said Brewer coach Dave Gonyar. “We’re in a situation where he can get three or four more starts and that’s a pretty good thing for our team. He’s pretty tough to beat.”

Hewes, who was a freshman at the University of Maine this past season, is 4-0 with a 1.77 earned-run average this summer and has 44 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.

Bangor Coach John Stubbs said, “This is the best competition I’ve ever seen in Zone 1. You take away Hewes from Brewer and any team can beat any other team.”

Stubbs feels the reason the zone is so competitive is that “every team has at least two or three real good pitchers.”

Old Town-Orono Coach Dave Paul pointed out that because the zone now has a spread-out 20-game schedule instead of 24 “the top two or three pitchers have been able to pitch all of the games. You don’t see the number four and five pitchers. And there’s a lot of parity in the league.”

“I think Brewer is going to end up number one but between Bangor, Old Town-Orono, Skowhegan and MDI, second place is up for grabs,” said Stubbs.

Old Town-Orono’s 9-8 win over MDI on Tuesday and 4-1 win over Brewer on Thursday has thrust the Twins back into the picture.

“Old Town-Orono has the best pitching but it hasn’t had the hitting to back it up,” said Gonyar, who coached the Twins before coming to Brewer this year. “They’re going to come out with some wins. MDI has some of the most dangerous hitters in the league but, besides (Joe) Domagala, their pitching staff is inexperienced at this level. If Skowhegan can get over its injuries, they’ll make a real run for it. Bangor has a nicely balanced team. They may not have any superstars, but they’ve got a lot of good players and they know how to compete.”

Gonyar has been surprised by his team’s 9-2 start and said “the good thing is we haven’t played up to our potential yet.”

Besides Hewes, the Falcons have received solid front-line pitching from Jamie White (2-0), Greg White (1-1, 1 save) and reliever Tony Mottola (2-1, 2 saves.

First baseman Billy Swift (.475 with 17 runs batted in entering Thursday’s game against Old Town-Orono), Hewes (.286, 14 RBIs), CF Matt Ayer (.326) and OF-Ps Greg White (.321) and Jamie White (.308) have been the offensive catalysts along with catcher Andy Kiah (.308, 13 runs).

Stubbs’ Bangor team has received steady pitching performances from Ryan Soucie (2-1, 1 save, 2.81 ERA), Scott Alexander (3-1, 1 save, 3.75) and Shawn Doll (1-1, 0.69).

and Stubbs is hoping another pitcher or two, like lefty David Foley (0-0, 1 save, 3.00) can provide some quality innings during the stretch run.

His biggest concern will be replacing catcher Rich Rygalski for 10 days while he prepares for the Shrine Football Game later this month. Rygalski is having a great year, hitting .511 with 9 doubles, 2 triples and 12 runs batted in.

Soucie is hitting .319 with a team-high 13 RBIs; LF Scott Young is at .289 with 11 RBIs and 3B Rob Young is 8-for-14 (.571). Stubbs hopes slick-fielding SS Jeff Jordan and CF-P Doll can break out of slumps to help pick up the slack left by Rygalski’s absence.

By the way, Brewer’s Kiah will also play in the Shrine game and will be missing from the Brewer.

Old Town-Orono has received quality pitching from Ricky Wickett (2-1, 0.75), Jamie Pete (1-1) and Steve Coombs (1-3) but the Twins are hitting in the vicinity of .225 as a team. The three top RBI men have just six each.

Coombs has been the best hitter with his .371 average and Paul is looking for more production throughout the lineup to go with the pitching and improved defense.

MDI has a formidable lineup with the likes of LF Mat Brown, 3B Jim Beers, SS Mike Clark and 2B Eric Lanks but speedy Jason Clarke has been bothered by a hamstring pull and has missed several games.

Domagala has anchored the pitching staff but he and Beers are the only regular pitchers who have had a lot of previous mound experience at the American Legion level. Righty Paul Farley is 3-2 and has been a pleasant surprise.

Skowhegan has three impressive pitchers in Doug McEwen, Rob Bolduc and Mike Savage and could make a legitimate stretch run if the bats come alive.

“It’ll come down to the team that can get hot over the next week and a half,” said Paul. “That team should be in pretty good shape.”