Bangor Christian pitcher Dean Grass delivers a third inning pitch to PVHS right fielder Brady Harding during their Class D North semifinal baseball game in Bangor on June 9, 2018. Photo by Chris Lessner.
BANGOR, Me- Dean Grass pitched a complete game allowing just two runs and striking out nine batters, and the Bangor Christian Patriots had four players with an RBI each to help secure a 6-2 Class D North semifinal baseball playoff win over the Penobscot Valley High Howlers at the John Winkin Sports Complex on the campus of Husson University Saturday morning.
Alex Tash led off the top of the first for the Howlers with a single to center and then after a sacrifice bunt sent him to second base, he stole third. Johnny Littlefield then lifted a sacrifice fly RBI to center to make it 1-0 PVHS. Grass led off the bottom half of the inning with a long triple down the left field line. Erik Gorczak knocked in Grass with a line drive single to left to make it 1-1. With two on and two out, Dacian Robert lifted a long fly ball to center that was misplayed by Howlers center fielder Austin Dube, allowing a run to score to make it 2-1 Patriots. With two more runners aboard in the bottom of the second, Jack York stung a groundball base hit to center to make it 3-1 BC.
PVHS (14-4), struck back in the top of the third on an RBI single by Bradon Blish to cut it to 3-2. That’s all the Howlers could get despite loading the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly RBI by Kaeden Robert and an infield single for an RBI by Rob Deroshe made it 5-2 Patriots in the bottom of the third. Grass struck out six Howlers in last four innings, and thwarted another scoring chance when PVHS had two runners on and noone out in the top of the fifth. BC added on another run in the bottom of the fifth on a balk with the bases loaded.
Grass picked up the win, with a final line of 7.0 innings pitched, two earned runs, six hits, just one walk, and the nine strikeouts. Reece Carter took the loss for PVHS, going 4.0 innings, allowing six runs (four earned), nine hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Grant Kidon pitched the final two frames for the Howlers, allowing no runs or hits.
Bangor Christian (14-4), will face 14-2 Fort Fairfield for the Class D North title on Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.
PV 1 0 1 0 0 0 0- 2 6 2
BC 2 1 2 0 1 0 x- 6 9 0
