Biddeford baseball players get back to work

BIDDEFORD — Sometimes, the best way to get over something is getting back to work.

Just days after the Biddeford baseball team lost 1-0 in the Maine Class A state championship game to Oxford Hills, the players hit the field for its first American Legion contest of the season, beating York 2-1 on Tuesday night at St. Louis Field.

Biddeford head coach Casey Roy said it helps the group to get back on the field.

“Certainly it does, getting out here, starting a new season, getting back to baseball being fun,” Roy said. “You could hear the crickets chirping tonight, no fans in the background. It’s a little tougher to get motivated, baseball isn’t really a rah-rah sport, they did a good job tonight getting motivated enough to get the victory.”

The contest turned into a pitchers duel between Mike Vadnais of Biddeford and Jimmy Kennedy of York. Kennedy, a former York High School hurler who finished his freshman season at St. Joseph’s College, made life difficult for Biddeford, striking out nine Biddeford batters.

Vadnais mixed speeds and pitched to contact, allowing the Biddeford defense to make plays. Vadnais, who hadn’t pitched in a game since the Western Maine Class A quarterfinals game against Scarborough on June 11, picked up the win, allowing only three hits in six innings of work, not allowing a walk and striking out three batters.

“I was just working on getting ahead in the count and throwing strikes, that’s about it,” Vadnais said.

Vadnais was used mostly out of the bullpen during the regular season, but was successful in his lone start of the season, picking up the win in a 4-2 contest over Marshwood on May 13. Roy said he expects Vadnais to step right into the starting rotation next season.

“We’re expecting a lot out of him next year at the high school and this year, we’re expecting him to anchor our pitching staff with Nate McKeown, Tyler Laverriere and Tyler Audie,” Roy said. “It kind of rounds us off and gives us a few arms to get through the week. Once again, we just need to get a little more offense going and let our bats catch up with our pitching.”

York scored its lone run in the top of the third, when Pat Seaward plated Jerry Ashley on a base hit to left field, giving York a 1-0 lead. Biddeford came back to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, when Scott Callahan scored from third base on a throwing error. Biddeford added the winning run in the bottom of the fifth, when Callahan scored Vadnais on an RBI double to right field.

Biddeford pitcher and current St. Joseph’s College hurler Tyler Laverriere shut down York in the seventh to pick up the save.

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