BANGOR, Maine — Playing its third game in as many days, the Skowhegan baseball team could have used the fatigue excuse as it managed just two singles through the first six innings of Wednesday’s Class A baseball game against Bangor.
But cleanup hitter John Little gave his team hope with an opposite-field single to open the seventh, and that smallest bit of momentum evolved into a stunning six-run rally that lifted the Indians to a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over the Rams at Mansfield Stadium.
“That was just a great comeback, the kids showed a lot of heart today,” said Skowhegan coach Rick York. “For the first six innings we were kind of spinning, but baseball is a funny game and that’s why we play it and that’s why we love it.”
Skowhegan (6-3) had been unable to solve Bangor starter Kyle Savage through six innings, as the righthander effectively changed speeds and needed just 65 pitches to keep his shutout intact.
By that time Bangor (7-2) had taken a 4-0 lead off Skowhegan ace Cody Vigue. Ryan Larochelle singled home Lonnie Hackett with two outs in the third for a 1-0 lead, then Devin Lyshon hit a leadoff home run to left in the fourth to ignite a three-run uprising that also included an RBI double by Zane Gray and an outfield error that allowed pinch-runner Alan Reese to score.
But Little’s unassuming leadoff single in the seventh, on an 0-2 pitch just after he pulled a foul ball deep to left, provided the initial spark the Indians needed to stage their comeback.
“We were taking a first-pitch strike to make [Savage] work a bit in the seventh because he hadn’t thrown many pitches,” said Little. “He came in with a changeup and I was a little bit ahead of it, and then I was just trying to protect and he gave me a curveball that I just slapped the other way to get on.”
Cody Williamson followed with a grounder up the middle that Bangor shortstop Cody McInnis fielded but had no play on to put runners on first and second, and Alec Hayden then chopped a single over the head of Bangor first baseman Zane Gray to drive home Little to make it 4-1.
Pinch-hitter Jimmy Quirion and Marcus Morin drew back-to-back walks to force in a run, and No. 9 hitter Josh LaBrie greeted reliever Dan Taft with an RBI single to right to pull Skowhegan within 4-3.
Nick Billington then hit a sacrifice fly to deep left-center to score pinch-runner Billy Clark with the tying run, and after Vigue walked to re-load the bases Mike Soucier hit a comebacker to the mound that was misplayed, enabling Morin to score the go-ahead run.
Little followed with his second hit of the inning, a pop single to right-center beyond Bangor’s drawn-in infield, to drive home LaBrie with the sixth run of the inning.
Vigue then came out and finished off a complete-game four-hitter, walking McInnis to open the Bangor seventh but retiring the next three batters in order.
“The great thing is we have a solid team, and by believing in each other just one little hit or one little error can spark us and turn the whole thing right around,” said Little, who finished the game with three of Skowhegan’s seven hits, all singles.
“We knew once we got runners on we were going to do our jobs, and everyone knew their jobs, whether it was pinch-hitting or pinch running or anything else.”
