BANGOR, Maine — This year’s Bangor High School baseball team has a considerably different look from its three Class A state championship predecessors.
But the names at the top of the lineup Thursday were the most experienced of the veterans on hand, and perhaps it’s no surprise that each played a key role as the fourth-seeded Rams edged No. 5 Hampden Academy 2-0 in a regional quarterfinal at Mansfield Stadium.
“I think our senior leadership really came through today,” said Bangor coach Dave Morris.
Senior right-hander Peter Kemble scattered five hits while striking out seven batters and walking no one during a complete-game pitching effort.
Senior second baseman George Payne was a defensive catalyst, teaming with junior shortstop Zach Ireland to turn a double play in the top of the fourth inning and later joining with Kemble on a game-ending pickoff play to erase the lone Hampden runner to reach second base.
And senior catcher Derek Fournier was the choreographer behind the plate who blended Kemble’s four-pitch arsenal into a shutout performance as well as helping Kemble and Payne score the game’s only runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks in large part to three Hampden errors.
“If you look at our top three hitters today, they’re all seniors,” said Kemble. “They’ve all played in championship games so they’re ready.”
The win advances Bangor (13-4) to Saturday’s semifinal round against the survivor of Thursday’s game between No. 1 Oxford Hills of South Paris (14-2) and No. 8 Camden Hills of Rockport (7-10).
Hampden finished its season at 11-6, with three of the losses coming to Bangor by a combined margin of four runs.
Bangor’s offense managed just two hits off Hampden right-hander Alex McKenney, who struck out 10 and walked no one — reaching a three-ball count to just three batters — over six shutdown innings.
But the Rams capitalized on the Broncos’ slow defensive start to score the only runs they needed before anyone was out in their initial at-bat.
Kemble led off by reaching on a misplayed grounder and scored from first when Payne’s sacrifice bunt was thrown into right field.
Payne reached third base on the play and scored to make it 2-0 when Fournier’s grounder was booted.
“Early on we just felt that if we could get guys on base we could try to manipulate some things, steal, bunt, do what we had to,” said Morris. “We’re just fortunate it worked out in our favor.”
Fournier stole second and third with still no one out, but McKenney struck out the next three batters to prevent that run from scoring.
But what seemed to be a big moment at the time for the Broncos ultimately did not matter as Kemble and Co. refused to give Hampden even an inkling of a comeback threat.
The Broncos managed a single in five of their last six at-bats but were unable to string together hits and got no help from Kemble — who reached just one three-ball count while throwing just 74 pitches — or Bangor’s errorless defense.
“Peter was humming today,” said Fournier. “He was finding his spots and working his curveball the entire time and keeping them off balance. He did a great job.”
And for a Bangor team that had dropped three of its last four regular-season games, its 1-hour, 13-minute playoff debut reminded them of the new opportunity that comes with postseason play.
“In the last six or so games we’ve been focused so much on results,” said Morris, “and as much as our kids like high expectations and pressure, you can’t help but think when you’re a senior or a junior and you’ve been part of the program that in the back of your mind you’re trying to live up to the [past] and get to the next level.
“Now we’re just trying to stay in the present and take one pitch at a time and one game at a time, and today it worked out great for us.”
