BANGOR– it looked like it was going to be easy in the early innings for Bronco-Hermon L.L. Hampden. It is never easy when you’re playing against the best teams in the world, and this was no different. Bronco-Hermon built an 8-1 lead and ended up winning 9-8 over Capital Park L.L. San Antonio, Texas on a walk off infield hit from Alex Applebee at Mansfield Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The team from Maine built a 3-0 lead through two innings, but did leave the bases loaded in the first inning and two on in the second inning. Applebee had two runs scored in the first two innings, while starting pitcher Alex McKenney helped himself with a two run single.
McKenney didn’t allow a hit through the first four innings. He did hit three batters and walked two during that time. The control struggles raised his pitch count. Little league rules limits pitchers to 95 pitches per game. Capital Park recorded their first two hits and first run in the fifth inning off McKenney. Manager Matt Kinney was forced to remove McKenney when he reached his pitch limit with two outs in the fifth inning.
“I was throwing a lot of pitches. I was all over the place,” McKenney said. “I wasn’t commanding my pitches like I wanted to. I knew my pitch count was climbing in the fifth.”
It looked like Bronco-Hermon put the game away when Mark Mailloux slammed a double to centerfield that scored three runs to make the score 8-1 at the end of the fifth inning.
That momentum changed quickly in the top of the sixth inning when the team from Texas sent 11 batters with six of them scoring as they cut the deficit to 8-7. They did leave two runners on base as Zach Nash struck out two to get out of the jam.
“It was frustrating at times in the middle innings,”McKenney said. “It was a big deal when we held them so it was 8-7 at the end of the sixth.”
Bronco-Hermon had a chance to add an insurance run, but Casey Sudbeck was stranded at second base, after leading off the bottom of the sixth inning with his second double of the game.
Derek Klosowski led off the top of the seventh inning with a triple for Capital Park. Klosowski scored the tying run on a ground out from Matthew Castro. They had a chance for more, but left two runners on base.
With the scored tied at eight, Christian Greener led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Greener was forced out at second base on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Garrett Trask walked, setting up the dramatics from Applebee, who hit a slow grounder down the third base line, the throw to first was not in time and Kent Johnson scored the winning run.
“We gave up a pretty big lead,”Kinney said. “Looking at the guys in the dugout, no one got real negative, no one was hanging their heads, everyone was positive.”
Bronco-Hermon will next play on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. against the winner of the Dumfries, Virginia/Wailuke, Hawaii game. That game will be played on Monday at 1:30 p.m. Capital Park will play Clifton, New Jersey in an elimination game Monday evening at 8 p.m.
