The Eastern Maine Class A baseball championship game will be played in Bangor.
The Maine Principals’ Association on Monday decided to switch the site of the contest after top-seeded Bangor and No. 3 Brewer won their semifinal games on Saturday.
The Rams (16-2) and Witches (14-4) will square off at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor. The game originally was scheduled to be played at Morton Field in Augusta.
Bangor coach Jeff Fahey and Brewer athletic director Dave Utterback applauded the move.
“It’s the best and correct thing to do for baseball in the area,” said Fahey. “Had the MPA said we had to play in Augusta, I would have been OK with that, too. I know in 2007, when we played Brewer in the Eastern Maine final, we still had to play in Augusta.
“I think the MPA will be happy with the crowd turnout at the game,” added Fahey.
“I feel pretty good about it. Logistically, it certainly helps when you can save $800-$900 on a bus to play a team that is three miles away from us,” said Utterback.
As a result of the change, Wednesday’s Class C regional championship game pitting No. 1 Bucksport against No. 2 George Stevens Academy also has incurred a time change.
The Golden Bucks (14-4) and Eagles (15-3) will play at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Mansfield Stadium. It had been originally scheduled for 6:30.
That change will enable Bucksport fans to also watch their softball team play Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln for the title at 6:30 p.m. at Brewer’s Coffin Field.
Utterback explained that as soon as Brewer completed its 7-0 semifinal win over Mt. Blue of Farmington on Saturday, he began talking to his coaches about the prospect of playing the final in the Bangor area.
“They were unanimous in wanting to have it up this way,” said Utterback. “When you play a game at a packed Mansfield Stadium, that atmosphere is as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned.”
Utterback was a coach for the Bangor team when the first Senior League World Series was held at Mansfield Stadium in 2002 and it left a lasting memory.
“The stands were packed and the fans were four-deep along the fence,” recalled Utterback.
“The kids will have the time of their lives playing in front of the crowd,” he added.
Utterback acknowledged that Mansfield is Bangor’s home field “but when we weighed out the pros and cons, there were more pros than cons. Our kids have played plenty of games there.”
He also said former Brewer athletic director Dennis Kiah attended that 2007 EM final between the two teams in Augusta “and he maintains that there were only 75 people there.”
The MPA has moved sites before.
In 2005, the Eastern Maine A final between Edward Little of Auburn and Oxford Hills of South Paris was moved from Bangor to Augusta for geographic reasons.