BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Christian baseball team had a lot going for it throughout the spring, but consistency wasn’t always one of those assets.
Even late in the regular season the Patriots pulled off a noteworthy doubleheader sweep of then top-ranked Katahdin of Stacyville only to suffer defeat two days later at Schenck of East Millinocket — one of the Wolverines’ four victories leading into postseason play.
So while the Patriots went 11-5 against a rugged schedule that included both participants in last year’s Class D state final (Searsport and Penobscot Valley of Howland) and a playoff-bound Class C team in Central of Corinth, BC coach Tim Collins wasn’t sure what to expect from his club as the regional playdown began.
Now he knows, after No. 2 Bangor Christian knocked off top-ranked and previously undefeated Fort Fairfield 9-3 on Tuesday night to capture the Class D North title.
“I didn’t know which team was going to show up,” Collins said after the game, “but thankfully this team has.”
BC’s championship run may have its origin in the lowest point of last season, the team’s quiet bus ride home after a 6-3 quarterfinal loss at Fort Fairfield.
“Last year’s game at Fort Fairfield was a rough one, we just had a meltdown,” recalled Collins. “We had an inning when we had four errors that day and it hurts to lose that way. I expected them to just eat each other alive and throw the players that had tough games under the bus, but they stuck together.
“Now to be able to come back and get some vindication after that tough one against a great team, I just couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”
One key to Bangor Christian’s postseason success has been an offensive resurgence. Led by the 1-2 punch in the batting order of junior Dean Grass and senior Josh Palmeter, the Patriots have averaged 10.3 runs per game during the playoffs with seven players contributing to a 12-hit attack in the regional final.
“We knew our potential,” said Palmeter, “and we knew if we played to our potential and trusted in each other and ourselves that we could beat them, and we did that.”
Seven of those hits against Fort Fairfield came in the top of the fifth when Bangor Christian reached Tigers starter Carter Bruce for six runs to erase a 3-2 deficit.
“I think we got a couple of hits and people saw that he was hittable,” said Palmeter.
Offense also will be a key in Saturday’s 1 p.m. state final against two-time defending state champion Searsport (16-3) at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.
When the two Penobscot Valley Conference rivals met at Searsport on May 8, the Vikings came away with a 2-0, 7-4 doubleheader sweep. And coach John Frye’s club should be fully stocked on the mound for the postseason rematch after ace Charlie Spiegel threw just 85 pitches during a 6-2 victory over Richmond in Tuesday’s Class D South final.
“We’ve been hitting the ball really, really well,” said Collins. “We hit lousy early in the season but we’ve had double-digit hits the last three or four games and it’s been one through nine. When you can get the bottom of the order up and they can all get hits and turn the lineup over it’s great for your offense.
“I’m sure John will have Charlie Spiegel ready to go, he’s just been so hard to hit, and Barrett Grant is legit, a Mr. Baseball finalist with a great arm behind the dish who can pitch.”
While Searsport will bring the experience of its 2015 and 2016 state championship game victories to this year’s final, Bangor Christian won’t be lacking in similar savvy.
Palmeter was an eighth-grade catcher on the Patriots’ 2013 baseball state title team and Grass joined him on the roster as an eighth-grade shortstop a year later when Bangor Christian capped off its streak of three straight championship seasons.
Bangor Christian also won the Class D crown in boys soccer last fall.
“Jitters and nerves are always going to be there, the state championship game is the biggest game we have,” said Grass, “but you live in the moment once the game starts and if you just do your thing and play how you should everything should go your way.”
