The Bangor Rams made it tough for Mt. Ararat of Topsham, but the top-seeded Eagles held on to win the Class A North title 4-3 on Tuesday night in Augusta.
Mt. Ararat pitcher Stan Spooner threw an impressive complete game while allowing three runs on only four hits, according to Gamechanger, the official scoring platform for Maine high school baseball. Spoon also fanned seven Rams hitters in the effort.
As it has frequently throughout the season, Bangor leaned on a balanced pitching effort from several arms, including promising freshman Cayden Karam who threw over three innings to start the game while giving up three runs (only two earned) on just four hits. Mathieu Turcotte added 1.2 innings in relief, giving up two hits and a run, and Kyle Johnson finished up the game for the Rams.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, before Bangor punched back to tie it in the top of the fourth inning. That tie didn’t last long, with Mt. Ararat scoring two more runs later that inning.
Bangor equalized again late with two runs in the top of the sixth, but another one-run response from Mt. Ararat led to the game’s final score at 4-3.
Johnson, who started in right field, had two RBIs for Bangor with a home run in the sixth inning, and third baseman Ethan Sproul knocked in the other run for the Rams. Mt. Ararat third baseman Will Davis and first baseman Andrew Clemons each had one RBI, and the other two Mt. Ararat runs came on an error and a wild pitch.
The Eagles move on to the Class A state championship on Saturday against the winner of Biddeford and Thornton Academy of Saco.