BANGOR — Old Town got a clutch hit at the biggest time in the sixth inning Tuesday to beat Yarmouth 1-0 for the state Class B baseball championship at the Mansfield Sports Complex
Lucas Moore stroked a two-out, RBI single in the sixth inning that gave the Coyotes (17-3) their second title in three seasons and their third since 2016.
Old Town senior Gabe Gifford and Yarmouth senior Liam Hickey were locked in a pitchers’ duel worthy.
“I didn’t really want to go into extra innings and I wanted to put the bat on the ball and hoped something good would happen,” said Moore.
Left fielder James Dumond led off the inning by reaching on a throwing error and was sacrificed to second, but first baseman Brendan Mahaney flew out to right, leaving it up to Moore.
Moore then lined an 0-1 fastball to left-center and it dropped safely for a single, bringing in Dumond.
“It was a low fastball,” said Moore. “I just hit it out there.”
“I just said,’ Get me one boys and I can go out and get it done for us,” Gifford said. “I had a good feeling.”
Gifford, a Mr. Maine Baseball finalist who will play next year for the University of Maine, allowed two hits and struck out six in a complete-game performance. He walked Sam Bradford with two outs in the top of the seventh before getting Jonny Cody to pop out foul to first to end it.
“State championship, the adrenaline takes over the whole game,” Gifford said. “I didn’t get tired. All the weight on my shoulders was off. It’s another banner. It feels great.”
Hickey danced a tightrope to escape the early innings.
Gifford led off with a double in the bottom of the first and got to third, but was stranded.
In the second, Old Town put two runners on, but Hickey struck out the side.
In the third, Gifford singled, stole second and moved to third on a one-out bloop single by Nathan Baker, the Coyotes’ backup catcher. Bakerreplaced Jackson Lizzotte in the top of the first, but Mahaney hit a shot right at first baseman David Swift, who stepped on the bag for the inning-ending double play.
Gifford, meanwhile, allowed one hit, a Gautreau single, through the first three innings.
Yarmouth (14-6) had its best scoring chance in the fourth when designated hitter Sam Lowenstein singled with two outs and moved to third when Gifford threw wildly on a pickoff attempt. Bradford then hit the ball sharply to right, where Ben Dickey ran it down to escape the threat.
Hickey didn’t allow an earned run, walked one and struck out 10.
“Our boys fought all the way,” said Hickey. “We were just as close to getting a win as they were.”
“We did hit the ball hard,” said Clippers Coach Marc Halsted. “We had some great swings and put balls in play. We wanted to force them to make plays and they made plays.
“We didn’t win, but I’m proud of our guys. This is a great group of young men. There isn’t a single kid on this team you wouldn’t want as a neighbor or as your son’s mentor. We wanted the championship, but we have some special human beings.”
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