Bangor right handed pitcher Zach Cowperthwaite delivers a pitch during Class A baseball action against Edward Little at Mansfield Stadium on Thursday, May 17, 2018. Photo by Chris Lessner.
BANGOR, Me- In a battle for first place in the Class A North standings, the Bangor Rams used a good pitching effort from Zach Cowperthwaite and some timely hitting to knock off the Edward Little Red Eddies 3-1 at a sunsplashed Mansfield Stadium on Thursday evening. The win moves the 12-1 Rams into first place. Edward Little loses their first game of season and drops to 12-1.
After a scoreless two innings, Noah Missbrenner drew a two out walk in the bottom of the third, and took second on a wild pitch from EL starting pitcher Grant Hartley. Cowperthwaite helped his cause with a line drive to single to right, driving in Missbrenner to make it 1-0. In the bottom of the fifth with the score still 1-0, Charlie Budd led off with a single, and moved to second on a Tyler Park sacrifice bunt. Zach Ireland brought in Budd with a line drive RBI to left center to make it 2-0. After Missbrenner reached on an infield hit to the second baseman, and Cowperthwaite flied out deep to left, Zach Murray extended to 3-0 Rams with a line drive RBI single to left.
Edward Little had a few chances in the game, including in the third inning. Jason Taylor reached on an error by Bangor third baseman James Neel, and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Hathaway. But Cowperthwaite got Austin Brown to ground out and Jake Arel to fly out to end the threat of the Eddies jumping on top. Ben Cassidy got the visitors finally on the board in the top of the sixth when he drove in Arel with a ground ball RBI single to center, after Arel had reached on an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch. That’s all the Red Eddies could muster, as Christian Beliveau flied out to right, and Taylor and Hathaway both struck out looking in the seventh to end it.
Murray was the leader offensively for Bangor with two hits and an RBI, while Cassidy was 3-3 with two singles and a double and an RBI for Edward Little. Hartley pitched well in the loss for the Eddies, going 5.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned), six hits, two walks, with seven strikeouts. Cowperthwaite threw 91 pitches for the complete game victory, allowing just one run, five hits, no walks, with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
Both teams are on road Monday as Bangor travels to Old Town and Edward Little heads to Oxford Hills for a matchup with another top Class A North contender.
ELH 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 5 0
BAN 0 0 1 0 2 0 x- 3 6 1
