AUGUSTA — The rally was complete, but the Capital Area 13-to-15-year-old Babe Ruth team had left some of its work unfinished.
Instead, Saco Bay Blue had plenty of life left. And this time, it found a way to close a deal that had slipped away.
Saco Bay Blue, based out of Old Orchard Beach, benefited from a throwing error and a passed ball to score the winning run in the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory over Capital Area in the teams’ opening game of the Babe Ruth state tournament.
Saco Bay Blue advances to the winner’s bracket to play Somerset, which beat Franklin County 9-4, Wednesday at 2:30. Capital Area, which forced extra innings with a two-run rally in the sixth, will try to extend its tournament run Tuesday against Franklin County at 5 p.m.
“We just couldn’t get the top of our order going,” coach Mike Peacock said. “I’m shocked that we just didn’t hit better than we did. … We’ve got all the speed in the world, we just couldn’t get it.”
The defense slipped too. Capital Area made five errors, including four in the first three innings as Saco Bay Blue built a quick 3-1 lead. The state tournament teams didn’t get to play a district tournament after the end of the regular season, and Capital Area outfielder Brayden Barbeau said that the team wasn’t comfortable early.
“I think there were nerves,” said Barbeau, who had one of the team’s three hits. “I think come tomorrow, we’ll be (making) no errors.”
Capital Area’s Alex Trafton can’t avoid a run down between first and second by Saco on Monday in Augusta. Kennebec Journal photo by Andy Molloy
Capital Area found its groove just in time. Mowed down by Saco Bay Blue’s Andrew Charron for five one-hit innings, the tournament hosts came to life in the sixth. Isaac Hayden led off with a single to left, and after stealing second and going to third on Noah Reed’s groundout to the pitcher, came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-2. Colby Lloyd then drew a walk and stole second, and came around to tie the game on Hayden McMurtry’s double to right.
“I love seeing that. That shows we have some heart,” Peacock said. “You know, we’re not going to give up.”
Capital Area was still threatening with the go-ahead run in scoring position, but the chance to go into the seventh with the lead ended abruptly when Charron picked McMurtry off at second. Saco Bay Blue waited until the eighth to take advantage, getting first a leadoff single from Nolan Rice and then a perfect bunt down the third-base line from Jacob Payea. Barbeau, now pitching, tried to make the play at first but threw wildly to the bag, allowing the runners to go to second and third.
James Erickson’s grounder back to the mound held the runners, but a passed ball with Garrett Dupee at bat allowed Rice to come in with what became the winning run.
“It was fun baseball, coming back on them like that,” Barbeau said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to close it out.”
Capital Area slumped at the start, with starter Drew Kelley struggling with his command. He threw 18 of 29 first-inning pitches for balls and walked in a run, and gave up two more runs in the second when he hit Andrew Hodgkins and gave up a single to Charron and both came around to score.
“We definitely got off to a slow start,” Peacock said. “(Kelley’s) normally dead-on. We have got a lot of sore arms, we just finished our regular season tournament. … That kid is dead-on, usually. I would start him every game if I could. Obviously, it didn’t go his way today.”
Peacock gave the ball to Josh Bragg to start the third, and the righthander was terrific. He pitched five hitless innings, walking one and striking out two and giving his offense time to rally back. Capital Area got a run in the second when Kelley reached on an error and then scored on a groundout, then evened the score in the sixth.
“I was just trying to keep it a close game,” Bragg said. “Our team had a chance to come up and knock some more runs in. I was just trying to do what I do on the mound, and it just worked out today. Sadly, we couldn’t put it all together.”
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