SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Two days into the state American Legion baseball tournament, only Zone 1 rivals Coffee News of Bangor and Post 51 of Oakland remain undefeated.
Coffee News, the Zone 1 tournament runner-up, came back from a 5-0 deficit to edge Staples Crossing-Eliot Post 188 7-6 in a winners’ bracket game Thursday afternoon at the Wainwright Complex.
Zone 1 champion Post 51 erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning to rally from a 6-0 deficit and defeat Morrill Post of South Portland 7-6.
Post 51 and Coffee News of Bangor will meet at 3 p.m. Friday in winners’ bracket play. The teams have met five times this summer, splitting two regular-season games before Post 51 rallied from an early round loss in the zone tournament with back-to-back victories last Saturday night and Sunday — with the Sunday win a 4-3 decision to clinch the zone title thanks to a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Other state tournament games Friday will be elimination contests matching Zone 3 rivals Morrill Post and Sebago at 10 a.m. and Zone 2 survivor Tri-Town of Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls against Staples Crossing at 11 a.m.
Tri-Town remained alive by eliminating Biddeford-Saco Savings 6-3 on Thursday, while Sebago ousted Bessey Motors of South Paris 4-1.
Staples Crossing (17-3) scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and two runs in the third to build its 5-0 lead against Coffee News.
But right-hander James Prescott came on in relief for the Comrades and subdued the Staples Crossing offense while Coffee News gradually rallied.
Bangor scored its first run in the fourth when Peter Kemble singled, stole second, took third on a groundout and came home on a wild pitch, then got a two-run single from Andrew Hillier in the top of the fifth to pull within 5-3.
Coach Dave Morris’ club (17-7) tied the game an inning later on an RBI single by Ryan Brookings and a sacrifice fly by Trevor DeLaite.
Staples Crossing regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth before Bangor took the lead for good in the eighth.
Stevenson led off with a single, Johnny Cote was hit by a pitch and Ben Crichton walked.
Stevenson scored the tying run on a wild pitch before DeLaite singled home what proved to be the winning run.
Nick Cowperthwaite pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings of relief to earn the win before Hillier came on in the ninth to earn the save.
Brookings and Stevenson each had two hits for Coffee News. Jake Lebel doubled and singled twice for Staples Crossing, and Cole McDaniel doubled and singled and Zach Hodges singled twice.
Coffee News-Bangor 000 122 020 — 7 9 0
Staples Crossing-Eliot 302 001 000 — 6 10 1
Kemble, Prescott (3), Cowperthwaite (6), Hillier (9) and Huston; Quintal, Landis (6), Curtis (7), Lebel (9) and Stankovich, Menholden (8)