STANDISH — When he needed a little extra on his fastball, York’s Adam Bailey found it. When he needed to paint the corner with a curveball, Bailey did that, too.

In the Class B baseball state championship game Saturday afternoon at Larry Mahaney Diamond, Bailey had Winslow hitters guessing for all seven innings. The 6-foot-6 righty was dominant at times, and always effective, and his effort on the mound led the Wildcats to a 4-1 win and their first state title since 1971.

The No. 5 seed in the Western B tournament, York ends its most successful season in four decades with a 16-5 record. Winslow ends at 16-4.

“(Bailey) threw a hell of a game. Even as a coach, I never was able to guess what he was going to throw next,” Winslow coach Jesse LaCasse said. “He mixed it up well. He kept my guys off balance and that’s a tough guy to beat right there.”

Bailey didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning. He allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked one. Of his 78 pitches, 60 were strikes. Bailey felt his best pitch was his curveball.

“I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes, most of the time,” Bailey said.

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The Wildcats staked Bailey to an early lead with three runs in the first inning. After Anthony Sciaudone led off with an infield single and Samuel Johnson reached on an error, Derek Neal singled to drive in York’s first run. Johnson scored on a wild pitch and Alex Mercurio’s double scored Neal for a 3-0 lead.

“Our bats have been alive. It’s nice to get a couple runs in the first inning to get your confidence up,” Bailey said.

After the first two York hitters reached base in the bottom of the second inning, LaCasse pulled starter Don Camp for freshman Jacob Trask, who went the final five innings for the Black Raiders, allowing one run on a bases loaded walk in the third inning.

“(Trask) pitched JV all year. I almost felt maybe he wasn’t prepared mentally for this type of game and I was wrong on that one. He came out and he gave us a chance in this game,” LaCasse said.

York threatened to break the game open early, but stranded nine runners on base over the first three innings. Winslow, on the other hand, couldn’t keep runners on base. The Black Raiders had a pair of runners thrown out at second base in the fifth, Chase Colford on a steal attempt and Alex Berard trying to stretch a single into a double. Berard was thrown out on a perfect throw by York right fielder Cole Merritt.

“That was a great throw by Cole. He has a cannon of an arm,” Bailey said.

Added LaCasse: “I don’t know if those were the nerves of the day, but after I saw that catcher’s (Mercurio) arm, I wasn’t giving any steal signs. It might have just been some nerves. It happens.”
Winslow got on the board in the sixth inning, when Bailey balked home Taylor Roy.

“We started 10-0 and we finished at the state game. They showed, every single game, this team fought. They never gave up,” LaCasse said. “We had many games where we fought back and I was pretty confident we were going to do it again today.”

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@mainetoday.com


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