STANDISH – Westbrook shut out Marshwood 5-0 Wednesday afternoon to capture the Western Class A title, never looking back after Kyle Schumacher’s little infield bop in the top of the second scored Zack Bean.
The fourth-seeded Blazes improve to 16-3 on the season and advance to Saturday’s state championship, against either Oxford Hills or Messalonskee, at 2 p.m. Saturday in Augusta.
The Hawks, who beat Westbrook in the regular season 3-2, end their 2013 at 16-3.
Westbrook head coach Greg Souza called Wednesday’s game “the same game” as the teams’ first of the year. “Except, the first game, there were two fly balls and a pop-up…we didn’t catch.”
Westbrook kicked off their batting and fielding clinic when Bean took first on balls in the Blaze half of the second inning. Designated hitter Austin Blake then smashed a single to left-center that pushed Bean to second, and Kaleb Kent grounded past the Marshwood shortstop to load the bases. With only one out, the batter’s box was a batter’s playground when Schumacher stepped inside.
Maybe the ball had gotten slippery in the on-again, off-again light drizzle, because Schumacher’s hit was no cannon-blast. It was well-placed, though, plopping in the damp grass just a few feet in front of the Hawks’ second baseman, who couldn’t get a grip in time to whip off any useful throw. Schumacher made it safely to first, and Bean scored. 1-0, and left the bases still loaded.
Collin Joyce followed Schumacher to the plate, and though he flew out to left, Kent nevertheless had time to tag up, run home, and bump the lead to 2-0.
Westbrook struck again in the fourth inning. Bean didn’t need to wait for ball four this time around, instead knocking a grounder to Marshwood’s second baseman, who fielded it from the dirt, but hurled it just a little wide of ideal, pulling his first-base counterpart off the bag and into an awkward spot Bean managed to dodge around. Safe.
Two batters later, Kent lobbed a ball just behind the Hawks’ shortstop to inch Bean onto second and take first for himself. Josh Richards stepped in to pinch run for Bean, so when Schumacher then belted a double into left, it was Richards who crossed home first, followed momentarily by Kent. The Blazes ticked upwards on the scoreboard, 4-0.
Westbrook didn’t just turn plays on the attack, though; their defense executed formidably as well. Pitcher Keenan Lowe and first baseman Bean combined to catch two Marshwood runners lingering off the bag, for instance, and they bookended a slick 1-6-3 double play (middle man: Collin Joyce) in the bottom fourth.
“That’s huge,” Souza said of Lowe picking multiple opponents off at first. “That’s a momentum – they get guys on, they think they’re going to get something going…to pick those guys off, it’s just a deflater.”
Souza indicated his defense has turned their performance around this year, going from error-prone to practically error-free. “I challenged before the South Portland game, three games left in the season, four games left in the season, Kent, Schumacher, [rightfielder Ryan] Gilligan, [second baseman Brett] Goodenow, I sat a couple of them, I said ‘Look at, this is your last game, if you guys don’t step up, raise your expectations, I’m putting freshmen in. And those guys – they have been lights out. They are focused, they’re just all over the place.
“All I asked them was, ‘Raise your expectations of yourself, ‘cause you’re good. But catch the balls that stay in the air. You aren’t going to catch line drives. But the balls that stay in the air for seven or eight seconds, catch those. And they’ve been, they’ve stepped up. They didn’t fold up because I got on them.”
The Blazes lit off the last of their fireworks in the top of the sixth. Blake flirted with the rightfield fence, nearly earning himself a home run, but settling for a standing double instead. Kent then smacked a grounder that bounced high, landing in centerfield to gain Blake third and himself first. Finally, Schumacher returned to connect one more time; he sailed the ball into center, where it slapped in the fielder’s glove but gave Blake the opportunity to zoom home after tagging up.
Schumacher bats ninth for Westbrook – the tail end of the order. For Souza, the bottom of the order has been more than pulling its weight recently. “In the last six games, those guys – Kent had a game winner against Cheverus, Bouchard last game. [Kent] had three hits today. We’re comfortable with the bottom of the order – that’s why those guys are in there. Schumacher’s hit ninth all year, and [opponents] continue to throw fastballs to him, and he’s going to hit them.”
Up 5-0, Westbrook had only to continue playing tight defense, which they did; 5-0 was the final tally.
“When it gets to where they need more runs than they have outs left,” Souza said, “it kind of makes you – a little bit of breathing room. But they’re good, ‘cause, they can score five runs in an inning, easy.
“[We] just went out, said, ‘You know what, we need two more outs, they need five more runs…Whatever happens, just get one out at a time…Don’t panic.”
“Two teams are going to show up and play; one’s going to win,” Souza said of Saturday’s states. “We’ve got Beanie [Zack Bean] going, he’s a money guy, he’s 5-0, 6-0. He’s won big games, and he’s hopefully going to win one more.”
Souza doesn’t care who he sees on Saturday. “We’re just happy to be there,” he said. “We just want a shot.”
Westbrook celebrates their Class A West victory. Derek Bouchard gets enough height to make the basketball team proud.
The Blazes hoist their Class A West plaque.
Kyle Heath’s slide into second upends the Marshwood baseman, causing him to drop the ball.
Blazes first baseman Zack Bean leans out, way out, to grab the throw before a Marshwood runner can make it to base.
Westbrook pitcher Keenan Lowe lets the ball fly.
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