BANGOR, Maine — It looked as though defense would be the key for Motor City in Saturday afternoon’s American Legion baseball doubleheader.
It was, but not the way Bangor’s other Legion team hoped.
Defense was indeed the key — for both teams. Motor City combined solid defensive play with timely hitting for a 4-1 victory over Zone 1 leader Bangor in the first game, but the Comrades turned things around in the second by making Motor City pay dearly for a late error and using it to spark a five-run seventh inning for a 9-4 win.
The split left Motor City 7-8 and Bangor 10-4 overall in the tightly-bunched Zone 1 ranks.
In the first game, Motor City’s Aaron Healey changed speeds effectively and painted the corners to earn his third win in four outings.
“I went right at them and tried to keep most of them down and away,” said Healey, who allowed five hits in four innings of work. “My curve was working pretty well, but I tried to get most of my strikeouts with my fastball. Location was key more than speed for me.”
Healey would get four strikeouts and three walks, but give up just one run as his teammates turned two of their five total double plays on the day in the game.
“He was changing speeds. He has a fantastic curveball and the confidence in it to use it anytime in the count,” said Motor City coach Darrell Pluard.
It did more than keep Bangor’s bats in check, it kept the Comrades on their heels, which sometimes seemed to be stuck in molasses.
“We looked tired or fatigued, but they battled,” said Bangor coach Fred Lower. “We tried every technique we could think of: We got on ’em, we kicked them in the rear end, we were positive and upbeat, and we didn’t say anything at all.”
Shane Walton had two of Bangor’s six hits with two singles and one RBI.
It wouldn’t be enough, however as Motor City jumped on Bangor with two runs in the first via four walks, an RBI double by Casey Hull, and a run-scoring wild pitch.
Motor City added a run in the second on Nick Smith’s one-out RBI single to right and a final one in the fifth courtesy of a Bangor throwing error, a Jon Johnson steal, a flyout, and Chris Potter’s second single.
Bangor managed just the one run in the first off an Ian Edwards single, a passed ball, and a two-out RBI single by Shane Walton. Bangor would go on to strand 11 total baserunners — six in scoring position.
In the second game, Motor City hit the accelerator early again with two runs in the first as Nick Pooler hit a leadoff triple and scored on Smith’s one-out single. Smith later scored on Jared Theriault’s RBI groundout.
Bangor then grabbed its first lead of the day in the fifth by scoring four runs — three via Edwards’ blast down the left-field line and the other via back-to-back singles by John Cox and Dylan Morris, plus a sacrifice and McInnis’ RBI groundout.
“He gave me an up-and-in fastball,” Edwards said. “He struck me out before on a high fastball so I figured he’d try to pump it by me again. I sat on it and actually got around on it that time.”
Motor City got two back to tie it in the fifth as Casey Hull and Smith (3-for-3) hit back-to-back singles, successfully executed a double steal, and then scored on John Gagnon’s double to right.
Bangor broke the tie as well as Motor City’s back in the seventh after Morris led off by striking out, but reached base on a dropped third strike and then raced around to second as the throw from the catcher was wide at first.
Motor City’s Charlie Merritt struck out the next batter, but McInnis singled, Chad Kelley walked to load the bases, and up came Edwards, who blasted a 1-0 fastball to right-center for a bases-clearing double.
After taking third on the throw home, Edwards would score on the second throwing error of the inning.
“That was really the first big break we had today, and that’s how quickly things can change in baseball,” said Lower. “It was key for us to get a split, especially when you consider we stranded 16 runners on base and had 15 walks in two games, plus two errors on routine plays,” Lower said.
The rally made a winner of starter Kyle Savage, who gave up eight hits in six innings.
“It’s good we were able to give the bullpen a rest and not throw a lot of arms,” said Savage, now 3-0.