AUGUSTA, Maine — Bangor’s Coffee News Comrades had barely taken to McGuire Field on Wednesday when they found themselves trailing in the first game of the American Legion baseball state tournament.
But no team in this year’s eight-team field can match coach Dave Morris’ club for big-game experience given its status as two-time defending state Legion champion with a roster drawn from a Bangor High School program with three consecutive Class A state titles.
So while that early deficit against Coastal Landscape of Portland lingered, it didn’t last as Coffee News combined the four-hit pitching of Peter Kemble with errorless defense and clutch late-game offense for a 3-2 victory.
“It was really going to come down to that timely hit,” said Morris after the one-hour and 53-minute, nine-inning battle, “and they got one early, and we were fortunate enough to get a couple at the end. It was a great baseball game.”
The victory advances the Comrades to a winners’ bracket game at 11:30 a.m. Thursday against Pastime of Lewiston, a 9-5 winner over Wells.
Coastal Landscape will play Wells at 10 a.m.
Coffee News (19-5) managed just two hits off Coastal Landscape right-hander James Sinclair through six innings, but RBI singles by Nick Cowperthwaite and Jesse Colford tied the game in the bottom of the seventh before Andrew Hillier’s RBI double drove home Kemble with the winning run in the eighth.
“That’s one of our strengths, we play nine innings,” said Kemble. “We always play nine innings.”
Kemble required just 94 pitches in his complete-game effort on the mound — he worked to just one three-ball count against the 30 batters he faced.
“I had to go after them,” he said. “The defense made plays all day, and that kept my pitch count down.”
The recently named Zone 1 player of the year induced 16 ground-ball outs, and when Coastal Landscape did hit the ball in the air, Coffee News’ defense responded, including one diving catch by Cowperthwaite at first base and two by center fielder Ryan Brookings — the second preventing a run from scoring after Pat Sullivan doubled to open the top of the seventh.
“Ryan understands the game and how to position himself and when to dive and when not to,” said Morris. “In the last three or four games he’s made some outstanding plays, and we are where we are because of plays like that.”
Kemble started inauspiciously, hitting the first two batters he faced in the game. Coffee News shortstop Kyle Stevenson then turned a 6-3 double play, but a ground single up the middle by Jared Brooks gave Coastal Landscape a 1-0 lead.
Kemble required just 32 pitches to hold Coastal Landscape scoreless over the next four innings.
“He was just trying to establish the inside part of the plate, and that’s really his M.O.,” said Morris. “You’ve got to throw to all parts of the plate, and he did a great job of that. He also did a great job with his composure and not letting that situation hurt him.”
Coastal Landscape made it 2-0 in the sixth on an RBI single by Sinclair..
Sinclair retired 13 straight batters through the middle innings, but his pitch count began to mount, and Coffee News finally broke through in the seventh.
Derek Fournier hit a one-out single and Ben Crichton drew the game’s first walk before Cowperthwaite took an 0-1 pitch to the opposite field for a run-scoring single to right.
Colford came on as a pinch hitter and flared the first pitch he saw for a single to right that delivered the tying run.
“I knew it was first and third, so I was focused on getting it to the outfield and getting the runner from third in,” said Colford. “I just wanted to tie the game.”
Kemble singled to center to open the Coffee News eighth and reached second on Sam Huston’s sacrifice off reliever Alex Jacobs. Hillier then skied a fly ball to right that landed just inside the foul line for a double that gave the Comrades the lead.
“I got up in the count and was just looking for my pitch,” said Hillier. “I got a little two-seamer on the corner and fisted to right. It was questionable because I saw it twirling toward the line, but I was hoping it would get down and fortunately it did.”
Kemble followed that up with a 1-2-3 ninth as he retired the last nine batters he faced.
“We’re really resilient,” said Hillier. “We keep grinding.”
Coastal Landscape 100 001 000 — 2 4 1
Coffee News 000 000 21x — 3 7 0
Sinclair, Jacobs (8) and McCarthy; Kemble and Fournier
