The Brewer varsity baseball team played a memorable regular season finale on Tuesday night, defeating rival Bangor 4-1 in a must-win scenario.
Up against Bangor ace Kyle Johnson and the Rams’ (9-6-1) high-powered offense, the Witches (7-9) bore down in front of their home fans, plating three runs in a wild sixth inning and holding on to preserve their playoff hopes.
Tied 1-1 in the sixth with the bases loaded and one out, Brewer tried performing a squeeze play to retake the lead, but junior Anderson Clifford’s bunt was fielded dangerously close to home plate. Fortunately for Brewer, the Rams were unable to hold on to the ball while tagging senior Grady Vanidestine at the plate, and the Witches managed to score three as Bangor scrambled to salvage the play.
Meanwhile, Vanidestine went 110 pitches through six innings on the mound, throwing nine strikeouts and allowing just four hits.
“Grady’s a gutsy player, a good leader and kept his composure. He knew that our playoff hopes were on the line, as did everyone else,” Brewer head coach Dana Corey said. “But when you’re on the hill, everyone’s looking at you, and he came through. We played a complete game, and we did the little things well. Now we gotta see how the numbers fall.”
The Witches currently sit at eighth in the Class A North Heal Point standings but could be bumped down to ninth and out of playoff contention as more results are processed by the Maine Principals’ Association this week.
Brewer (83.75 Heal Points; 7-9) is barely ahead of Lewiston (82.81; 8-8), to whom they lost on April 20. The Witches were a preseason favorite to earn a top seed, but have dealt with injuries to three of their starting pitchers and lost four one-run games this spring.
“It’s always good to beat your cross-river rival,” Corey said. “It’s a good day for them, for the seniors especially. The relievers have stepped in and done a great job.”
Closing out the game for Brewer was junior lefty Zach Arnold, who gave up two singles but ultimately wrapped up the seventh in just 21 pitches.
Junior shortstop Logan Littlefield (1-for-2, one walk, one run) accounted for Brewer’s first-inning run, driving in junior Jake Perry second baseman (1-for-2, one walk, one run) on a double to left field.
Bangor finished with seven hits, including three hits and a third-inning RBI for senior catcher Jack Schuck, plus two errors. Johnson, a sophomore, struck out 10 batters through six innings (99 pitches), and conceded four hits and four walks apiece.
As is, No. 4 Bangor is scheduled to host No. 5 Oxford Hills (10-6) in the first round of the playoffs, and No. 8 Brewer is scheduled to play No. 1 Hampden Academy (14-1). Bangor beat Oxford Hills 7-3 two weeks ago, while Brewer lost to Hampden 10-2 this past weekend.
