BANGOR, Maine — Uncertain weather leading to soggy field conditions and numerous postponements have left many high school baseball teams struggling to develop a confident rhythm early this season.
That’s not been the case for the undefeated Bangor Rams.
A team with plenty of new faces from its three immediate Class A state championship predecessors showed off substantial midseason form Thursday, whitewashing visiting Mt. Blue 12-0 in a five-inning game at Mansfield Stadium.
Peter Kemble was dominant on the mound, striking out 12 batters and walking no one while scattering four hits for his second complete-game shutout in as many outings this spring. Kemble also defeated Brewer 1-0 on April 24 and now has thrown 12 scoreless innings.
“It was very similar to the Brewer game,” said Kemble of his performance against a Mt. Blue team that included his cousin, senior shortstop Alex Philbrick. “My mindset was to go at them with the fastball. I knew they were a young team and they showed it a little bit today but they battled.”
Kemble complemented that velocity with considerable accuracy. The University of Maine-bound senior righthander threw 56 strikes among his 75 pitches and had just two three-ball counts.
“He had a little extra oomph on his fastball today,” said Bangor senior catcher Derek Fournier. “Having a relative on the other team, he was fired up to play today. He’s fired up for every game but he had a little extra today.”
Fournier sparked Bangor’s 11-hit attack with a double, two singles, three RBI and three runs scored as the Rams scored four runs in the second, third and fourth innings.
“I think I saw it pretty well today,” said Fournier. “In the past few games it’s usually been a really slow pitcher and I haven’t been able to adjust but this pitcher was a pretty good speed and I felt good at the plate.”
George Payne added a double and single, three RBI and three runs scored from the No. 9 spot in the batting order for the Rams while Nick Cowperthwaite singled twice and Gary Farnham and Zach Ireland each scored two runs.
The only Bangor starters not to get a hit were Kemble, who reached base three times, and cleanup hitter Noah Missbrenner, a sophomore who ground out three walks on 21 pitches.
“I thought overall right from the start all of our batters had quality at-bats,” said Bangor coach Dave Morris.
Bangor (5-0) took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second with doubles by Tyler Parke, Payne and Fournier doing much of the damage.
Parke led off the inning with an opposite-field fly just inside the left-field line, and Payne followed a one-out walk to Ireland with an opposite-field blast of his own, this one a high fly to deep left that drove home Parke to make it 2-0.
Kemble was hit by a 3-2 pitch before Fournier skied an RBI double to left-center and Cowperthwaite hit a line drive to center that went for a sacrifice fly after a diving catch by Bolduc.
A leadoff double by Farnham ignited another four-run uprising in the third. Ireland contributed an RBI groundout and Fournier singled home a run before both the biggest and smallest hit of the rally.
The bases were loaded with two outs and the runners were off on a 3-2 pitch when Zach Cowperthwaite hit a slow chopper toward shortstop. Cowperthwaite beat out the infield hit, with Fournier scoring from third and Nick Cowperthwaite racing home from second to extend the Bangor lead to 8-0.
Payne followed a walk to Farnham and a single by Ireland with a two-run ground single between first and second bases that gave Bangor a double-digit lead in the bottom of the fourth.
After a walk to Kemble, Fournier beat out a 45-foot chopper toward first base for an infield hit that drove Payne from second base to make it 11-0. Fournier soon scored on a wild pitch for the Rams’ final run.
