Ellsworth pitcher Connor Wagstaff throws a first inning pitch to Hermon right fielder Wyatt Gogan during the Class B North baseball championship game Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
BANGOR- Connor Wagstaff had three hits and three RBI and pitched into the sixth inning Wednesday afternoon, as the top seeded Ellsworth Eagles beat the Hermon Hawks 9-5 in a Maine Principals’ Association Class B Northern Maine baseball regional final at Mansfield Stadium.
Hermon (17-2) got off to a good start in their first at bat. Wyatt Gogan hit the first pitch of the game deep into left field over the head of Eagles left fielder Michael Palmer for a double. Nate Allain then walked. Gogan scored on a pair of passed balls, and then Allain scored on an RBI single from Kent Johnson to make it 2-0. The Eagles came right back though as Tyler Mitchell hit a leadoff single, and then Devin Grindle reached on an error by the Hawks first baseman Cody Hawes. Jackson Curtis hit into a fielders choice, where Grindle was erased at second. Matt Burnett grounded out allowing Mitchell to score, and then Hunter Curtis tied it with a single to right center field scoring J. Curtis. Wagstaff then would reach on an infield single, and H. Curtis would steal third. With Palmer batting, Ellsworth pulled off a double steal as Wagstaff tried to run to second and Hermon catcher Adam Rush threw down. H. Curtis alertly ran home beating the throw from second baseman Allain to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead that they would never give back.
Allain tied it for Hermon in the second with an RBI single to right field. The score stay tied until the bottom of the third. Wagstaff hit an RBI triple to deep center over the head of Garrett Trask, that scored H. Curtis who had been hit with a pitch to start the inning. Nate Smith drove in Wagstaff with an RBI single to make it 5-3 Eagles. Keith Pomeroy cut the lead to just a run for the Hawks with an RBI single in the fourth. Two walks and an error in the bottom of the fourth led to a two run single by Wagstaff to extend the Eagles advantage to 7-4. The final scoring on the day for Ellsworth (18-1) occurred in the fifth when D. Grindle hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Smith, and J. Curtis singled to score Riley Grindle who had reached on another Hawks error. Allain finished off all the scoring when he singled to drive in Hawes in the sixth, after Hawes had doubled to start it.
Wagstaff scored three runs to go along with his three hits and three RBI on the day. He also got the pitching win going 5.1 innings allowing five runs (four earned), eight hits, with three walks and seven strikeouts. Smith and J. Curtis also had a pair of hits and an RBI each to lead a 10 hit attack, with J. Curtis also scoring two runs. Hermon was led offensively by Allain who had two hits and a pair of RBI. Hawes went 3-3 with two singles and a double, and scored all three times. Jacques Labonte took the loss on the mound allowing nine runs (seven earned), nine hits, along with three walks and three strikeouts. The Hawks finish 17-2, with both losses coming to Ellsworth.
Ellsworth will face Freeport on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Saint Josephs College in Standish in the Class B state title game.
Ellsworth DH Riley Grindle waits on a pitch during the Class B Northern Maine championship baseball game against Hermon on Friday, June 12, 2019 in Bangor. Photo by Chris Lessner (click to enlarge)
Box Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Hermon 2 1 0 1 0 1 0- 5 9 3
Ellsworth 3 0 2 2 2 0 x 9 10 0
WP- Wagstaff LP- Labonte
Doubles- Hermon: Gogan, Hawes Ellsworth: none
Triples- Hermon: none Ellsworth: Wagstaff
