READFIELD — Those who had written off two-time defending Class B state champion Waterville this season may have jumped the gun.
Despite graduating five starters, including their top two pitchers, the Purple Panthers are in contention again. Wednesday, they scored five runs in the seventh inning to knock off Maranacook 8-3 in a matchup of the of the top teams in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference’s Class B division.
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Waterville is 8-1 and sits atop the tournament standings in Eastern B while Maranacook falls to 5-3.
One of Waterville’s returning players is senior J.T. Whitten, who settled down after a shaky start and pitched a gem, limiting the Black Bears to three hits while walking one and striking out four.
“That’s my problem all year, that first inning,” said Whitten who is 4-1 this season. “Once I’m by that I’m throwing pretty good and the defense is working hard.”
Maranacook got a good performance from starter Zach Elwell who pitched into the seventh inning and left with the score tied at 3. Ace Eben Ballard came in for Elwell, despite pitching a complete game and throwing well over 100 pitches Saturday.
“Today was his bullpen day so I wasn’t going to have him throw more than two outs,” Maranacook coach Jared Lemieux said. “He only got 110 pitches, that’s why I took him out quickly.”
Ballard came in with a runner on second with one out. No. 2 hitter Racean Wood laid down a perfect bunt to put runners and first and third and things unraveled for the Black Bears from there. Waterville took the lead on Tyler Bouchard’s RBI ground ball as Josh Gormley just beat the throw to home.
An intentional walk to Whitten loaded the bases and Lance Lefebrve drew a walk to force home a run. Kevin Johnson replaced Ballard and gave up a two-run single to Matt Lee to cap the inning.
“The four kids we’ve got back are pretty solid baseball players,” Waterville coach Don Sawyer said. “J.T., Aiden (Fitzgerald), Tyler Bouchard. We just got Racean Wood back who was our starting center fielder last year. He tore his ACL in football.”
The Panthers collected 10 hits in all and laid down four bunts, two for hits and two sacrifices. They attempted a suicide squeeze in the sixth but Elwell sniffed it out, threw a pitch out of the strike zone and Whitten was out at home.
“We bunt most of the game,” Whitten said. “We’ve got a fast team.”
Cam Brochu had two of Maranacook’s three hits. He singled and scored on Ballard’s ground ball in Maranacook’s two-run first. And he doubled to the gap in right-center in the sixth and scored the tying run on Tucker Whitman’s ground ball.
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com
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