Bangor Christian scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday afternoon, and walked-off a 5-4 win over Machias in the Class D North Baseball Regional Championship game at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.
The #5 Bulldogs took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a Mickey Fitzsimmons RBI single and would also come across to score on a passed ball. The Patriots cut it to 2-1 on a Jeremiah Dorr RBI single in the bottom of the second. Dorr later tied it on a leadoff inside the park homerun in the fifth. Machias took back a two run lead at 4-2 on an error and a RBI single by Lucas Robicheau in the sixth inning. Bangor Christian began their rally in the bottom of the seventh with one out when Gabe Gahagan was hit by a pitch, and Caleb Martin followed with a walk. Jon Benjamin tied it on a hard grounder to second base that was misplayed for a two-run error. After Cole Payne was intentionally walked, Jack Kowalski walked it off with a single to centerfield to send the Patriots back to the state title game.
Dorr had two hits and two RBI to lead Bangor Christian. Blaze Morris also had a pair of hits. Morris pitched the seventh inning and got the win on the mound in relief of Payne. The Mr. Maine Baseball Finalist Payne fired 6.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Fitzimmons had two hits and knocked in a run for Machias. He also took the loss on the hill giving up three earned runs on six hits with four walks and one strikeout in 6.1 innings. The Bulldogs end the season as runner-up with a record of 12-6. The #2 Patriots, now 18-1, will take on St. Dom’s in the state championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mahaney Diamond. St. Dom’s defeated Bangor Christian 4-1 in the state final in 2023. The Saints have won the last three Class D state crowns.
Featured photo of Bangor Christian centerfielder Jon Benjamin during a regular season game vs Machias earlier this year
