BANGOR, Maine — Trevor DeLaite has thrown plenty of pitches between leading Bangor High School to its second straight Class A baseball state championship this spring and helping Coffee News of Bangor have a chance to defend its 2014 American Legion state title this summer.
But has that workload taken a toll? Hardly — the left-hander welcomes the chance to take his turn on the mound each week, much to the detriment of opposing teams.
If anything, the games he works during late July and early August offers DeLaite a chance to capitalize on a pitching second wind that was on full display Thursday as No. 2 Bangor defeated No. 3 Brewer 6-1 in a first-round game of the American Legion Zone 1 tournament at Husson University.
“It usually comes about right now, when the games start meaning more,” said DeLaite after a nine-inning, 122-pitch complete-game performance. “There’s a little more energy there.”
DeLaite was in command throughout against the Falcons, striking out 12 batters and walking one while scattering six hits in outdueling Brewer right-hander Jake Gauvin.
“He dialed in,” said Coffee News catcher Sam Huston, who paced the Comrades’ offense with three doubles and two RBIs. “From about the third inning on he was lights out.”
DeLaite also contributed two singles and a double to Coffee News’ 13-hit attack, while Andrew Hiller doubled and singled with two RBIs. Jordan Derrah and Johnny Cote each added an RBI single.
Chase Allen paced Brewer with a double and a single, while Alex Maxsimic doubled and scored the Falcons’ lone run on an RBI single by Gauvin in the seventh inning.
Coffee News (14-5) will face No. 1 seed Post 51 of Oakland (15-4), a 5-1 winner over No. 4 R.H. Foster of Hampden in the nightcap, in a winners’ bracket game at 7 p.m. Friday after Brewer (14-6) plays Hampden (13-7) in a 4 p.m. elimination contest.
Coffee News’ first four batters had hits in the bottom of the first inning, staking DeLaite to an early lead.
Ben Crichton singled off the leg of Gauvin at the mound and DeLaite singled to left before Huston lined a two-run double to left-center field to make it 2-0.
“I was up there expecting an off-speed pitch because he threw me all fastballs the first time I faced him this year, and I roped those, too,” said Huston. “So I was expecting off-speed, and the first pitch I saw was a curve, and I just took it to the gap.”
Hillier then singled Huston to third, but Gauvin retired the next three batters on two strikeouts and a groundout to avoid further damage.
Maxsimic reached third base for Brewer with no one out in the top of the second on a throwing error by DeLaite, but the Coffee News left-hander stranded him there by retiring three straight batters — two via strikeout.
Gauvin (six strikeouts, one walk) kept the Falcons close by holding Coffee News without additional runs through the sixth inning, and Brewer finally generated a run in the top of the seventh.
Maxsimic hit a one-out double to right-center, then a walk to Alex Brooks and an infield hit by Kobe Rogerson loaded the bases. Maxsimic scored to make it 2-1 when Gauvin singled to right, but a 9-3-2 relay on the play from Derrah to Hillier to Huston cut Brooks down at the plate to quell the threat.
Coffee News immediately got that run back on Cote’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Derrah drew a leadoff walk and was sacrificed to second by Kyle Stevenson. Derrah advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw before Cote grounded his run-producing hit into center field.
Hillier stroked a two-run double to right-center in the Coffee News eighth, one out after Crichton and DeLaite opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Peter Kemble then served an opposite-field single to left field to move Hillier to third, and Derrah followed with an RBI single to right to make it 6-1.
“Overall we’re glad to get out of here with a win,” said Coffee News coach Dave Morris. “Sometimes the first one can be a little tougher than expected, but we were able to pull out the win today.”
Brewer (14-6) 000 000 10 — 1 6 1
Coffee News (14-5) 200 000 13x— 6 13 3
Gauvin and Maxsimic; DeLaite and Huston
