Thursday night in Hampden, Ryan Brookings doubled in two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 7-7 tie and Bangor East held on for a 9-8 win over previously undefeated Camden-Rockport in the 11-12 state tournament. With the Bangor East win, the final championship game will be played Friday night at 5:30.
Bangor East's Ryan Brookings rips a fifth inning double driving in the eventual game winning runs in the first championship game of the 11-12 baseball state tournament in Hampden Thursday night. Bangor East defeated Camden-Rockport 9-8 to force a final game for the state title on Friday night. Photo by Skip Hawkes
CR took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single from Andrew Hall. In the bottom of the second inning, Bangor plated three runs on a passed ball and a two run homer by Ryan Moore to take a 3-1 lead.
In the third inning CR got one run back to close the score to 3-2 on a Kyle Crans RBI single. In the top of the fourth inning CR took a 5-3 lead when Hall ripped a 300 plus foot home run, but the lead did not last long as Bangor came back in the bottom half of the inning to score four runs and take a 7-5 lead.
Camden-Rockport's Andrew Hall (center with helmet) gets mobbed by his team mates after hitting a three run homer in the fourth inning. Photo by Skip Hawkes
Dane Johnson led off the Bangor fourth with an opposite field home run. After two were out, Colin Glencross was hit by a pitch and Ryan Moore reached on an error. Joey Moir followed with a walk to load the bases, and Bangor’s Mr. Clutch, Nick Moore drilled a bases clearing double up the middle.
Bangor's Dane Johnson gets some lift on the ball and sends it over the right field fence for an opposite field home run in the fourth inning. Photo by Skip Hawkes
CR would not go away, and in the top of the fifth Jake Chamberlain hit a one out triple and later scored on a Bangor error. Ryan Pierce ripped a two out triple to score Drew Holt to tie the game at 7-7.
In the bottom of the fifth Liam Reading led off with a double and Tyler Mallory-MacDonald followed with a walk. One out later Brookings, who had been struggling at the plate throughout the tournament, doubled home both runners to put Bangor on top 9-7.
In the sixth inning, Chamberlain drove in one run on a ground out to pull CR within one run at 9-8. With runners on second and third and two out, Reading, on the hill in relief of starter Nick Moore, struck out the next batter to preserve the win for Bangor East.
Hitting for Bangor was Ryan Moore (home run, two RBIs), Nick Moore (double, three RBIs), Johnson (home run, RBI), Brookings (double, two RBIs), Reading (double), and Ethan Dorman (single).
Bangor's Ryan Moore gets a hand slap from third base coach Dave Hamel after hitting a home run in the second inning. Photo by Skip Hawkes
Nick Moore picked up the win from the hill going five innings and striking out three. Reading earned the save working the sixth inning and striking out one.
Doing the hitting for Camden-Rockport was Hall (home run, single, four RBIs), Chamberlain (triple, single, RBI), Pierce (triple, RBI), Kienan Brown (double, single), Teddy Laurita (double, single), Jack Gallagher (two singles), and Crans (two singles).
Click to view photo galleries from all games covered in the State Tournament
