BANGOR – With an Eastern Maine Class A baseball championship at stake, the next Brewer was just too much for the team from Brewer.
Senior righthander Mark Rogers, the No. 5 overall pick in Monday’s amateur draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, allowed just two scratch singles and struck out 16 Tuesday night as top-ranked Mount Ararat of Topsham shaded No. 3 Brewer 4-1 in the regional final before the largest crowd in Mansfield Stadium history.
Rogers, the national Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year, threw 96 pitches, 68 for strikes, with his fastball topping out at 96 miles per hour on a radar gun held by Brewers’ area scout Tony Blengino, who was among the more than 3,000 in attendance.
But with little sleep in recent days due to the impending draft and the widespread interest in his baseball future, Rogers did show a human side – throwing four wild pitches, two that led to just the second earned run he has allowed this season.
“I’m working on about eight hours of sleep since Saturday,” said Rogers, who also was pitching on only three days rest for the first time this spring. “I’m running on adrenaline right now, but I came out and pitched and we won the game, and that’s all I care about.”
Still, the 6-foo-2, 205-pounder threw 18 first-pitch strikes to Brewer’s 24 batters, and never allowed the ball to be hit out of the infield. Brewer had just three baserunners.
Rogers retired the first nine batters he faced before Andrew Otis drew a leadoff walk in the fourth inning.
His no-hitter was intact until the sixth, when the Witches got back-to-back infield hits by Ben Davis and J.T. Davis. Ben Davis then scored on two wild pitches to cut Mount Ararat’s lead to 3-1.
“My curveball was very effective,” said Rogers, who has 158 strikeouts in 63 innings this spring. “I thought I threw that well, but I worked a little backwards today, I used the curveball when I was behind in the count because I could throw it for strikes and was consistent with it. But my fastball took off on me today. I felt comfortable and confident, but there were a couple times the pitches got away.”
Meanwhile, a Brewer team that had little margin for error against Rogers committed six errors.
“Had we been able to play defense, who knows what would have happened,” said Brewer coach David Morris. “But all the credit to them. The kid’s a pro pitcher, and he pitched a heck of a game.
“To beat a pitcher like that – if you’re going to beat him, and I’m not sure you’re ever going to beat him – you can’t make mistakes defensively.”
The win gives the Eagles (18-1) their second straight EM title, and sets up a rematch against defending state champion Deering of Portland in Saturday’s state final at Gorham High School. Deering (19-0) defeated Portland 12-0 Tuesday in the Western A final.
Rogers outdueled Brewer righthander Andrew Patterson (5-2), who allowed just seven hits and two earned runs while striking out two and walking two, one intentionally.
“At first I was nervous,” said Patterson, “but after the first couple of guys got on I kind of settled down. The errors didn’t help, but I just had to deal with it.”
Mount Ararat capitalized on three Brewer errors to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Jim Ouellette reached on an infield error and went to third on an errant pickoff throw. He scored as Brent Williams reached on an error.
The Eagles stretched their lead to 3-0 with two runs in the fifth. Williams drew a one-out walk with Chris Doherty and Todd Strong hitting RBI singles.
Mount Ararat’s final run came in the bottom of the sixth. Brandon Galarneau reached on an error, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on another Brewer error.
EAGLES 4, WITCHES 1
Brewer (16-3) Mount Ararat (18-1)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Otis, dh 2 0 0 0 Ouellette, cf 3 1 0
Cushing, 2b 0 0 0 0 Williams, c 3 0 0
Patterson, p 3 0 0 0 Reilly, pr 0 1 0
McAvoy, 3b 3 0 0 0 Rogers, p 2 1 0
Kotredes, 1b 3 0 0 0 Cantrell, rf 3 0 0
Miller, cf 3 0 0 0 Doherty, 3b 3 0 1
Grimes, lf 3 0 0 0 Strong, 1b 3 0 1
Peasley, c 2 0 0 0 Ogilby, 2b 2 0 0
B. Davis, rf 2 1 1 0 Chick, ph 1 0 0
J.T. Davis, ss 2 0 1 0 Galarneau, lf 3 0
Bichrest, ss 3 0 0 0
Totals 23 1 2 0 Totals 26 4 7 2
Brewer 000 001 0 ? 1
Mount Ararat 100 021 x ? 4
E?J.T. Davis 3, Patterson, McAvoy, Kotredes; LOB?Brewer 2, Mount Ararat 7; DP?Brewer 1; SB?Williams, Ouellette
Brewer IP H R ER BB SO
Patterson (L, 5-2) 6 7 4 2 2 2
Home IP H R ER BB SO
Rogers (W, 9-0) 7 2 1 1 1 16
WP?Patterson 3; Rogers 4; T?1:41; ATT?3,100 (est.)
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