HAMPDEN — When the Bangor East All-Stars lost to Camden-Rockport on Tuesday, the 11-and-12 year olds from the Queen City were in familiar territory.
Four players from this group, Ryan Brookings, Ryan Moore, Nick Moore and Ben Crichton, were a part of the 2009 squad that rebounded to win the state title after losing its first game in the state tournament and qualify for the New England regionals in Bristol, Conn.
Bangor East used that experience to its advantage Friday afternoon, with Brookings pitching a one-hit masterpiece as manager Jason Lewis’ club beat Camden-Rockport 6-1 at the Hampden-Newburgh Little League complex for its second straight state title.
Bangor finishes its tourney run with a 4-1 record and will represent Maine in the regional, which begins Aug. 6, while Camden-Rockport finishes 3-2.
Bangor defeated Cumberland-North Yarmouth 9-3 on Wednesday and Camden-Rockport 9-8 on Thursday to force Friday’s winner-take-all contest.
The setback to Camden-Rockport was the humbling experience the Bangor stars needed, and used it as motivation the rest of the tournament.
“We needed that experience,” Lewis said. “We learned that we can’t just walk on the field every game without being ready physically and mentally.”
Bangor East’s bats were certainly ready, as Nick Moore doubled in a run in the first while Liam Reading knocked in another with a fielder’s choice.
Ryan Moore plated another run in the second with a base hit, while Bangor East added another run in the fourth on Joey Moir’s RBI triple and two more runs in the fifth, one on a passed ball and the other on Carson Atherly’s infield RBI single.
Camden couldn’t get anything going against Brookings, who threw 80 pitches — the Little League limit is 85 — walked just one, hit a batter and struck out eight.
He said he wasn’t too nervous.
“When we won [Thursday] I think everyone got pumped and we knew we were going to come out and win,” Brookings said.
The run off Brookings was unearned, when Drew Holt reached on an error and scored on the same play when the throw to first base was thrown into right field. Camden’s only hit was an infield hit by Kyle Cross in the fifth.
Brookings was also aided by some fine defensive plays, including a pair of highlight-reel catches by shortstop Nick Moore, who dove to his right to make a backhanded stab of a sinking liner in the second. He later came up with a running, basket catch for the final out of the fifth, which left two Camden-Rockport runners in scoring position.
“These guys have played solid defense, that’s what got us through districts and I’d say today, too,” Lewis said.
Camden-Rockport wasn’t able to put together a consistent offensive output.
“We weren’t able to really make the contact and get the hitting going like we had the rest of the tournament,” said manager Barrett Brown. “In the earlier parts of the tournament we were hitting the cover off the ball, but not today.”
That was mainly because of Brookings, who stayed ahead in many counts, and had a lead before he even threw a pitch.
“I was so relaxed because I knew with my curveball I could get them out,” said Brookings.
Brookings added he and his teammates are planning to visit ESPN in Bristol, and he hopes to meet anchors such as Stuart Scott and Chris Berman.
All that aside, Lewis believes this group can come out of the tough New England tourney and advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., in late August.
“We are expecting to win more than a game,” he said. “This is a great group of players, we’re looking to go further than we’ve ever gone before. That was our goal before we played our first All-Star game, we set our goal and that’s what it’s going to be, to go further than ever gone before.”
Joey Moir spearheaded Bangor East’s 10-hit attack with two triples, an RBI and a run scored while Nick Moore was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
Bangor East 210 120 — 6 10 1
Camden-Rockport 001 000 — 1 1 2
Brookings and Lewis, Crichton (3), Lewis (4); Brown, Gallagher (5), Pierce (5) and Cross
