Central Maine Wins Back-to-Back YSCC Tournament Titles
Auburn, ME – Central Maine Community College captured its second straight Yankee Small College Conference Baseball Tournament championship, with a 9-1 victory over York County Community College on Saturday. The #1 seeded Mustangs scored five runs in the bottom of the second to take a lead over the #2 seeded Hawks they would not relinquish.
The double-elimination tournament games on Friday and Saturday were moved to CMCC's turf complex due to the forecasted rain making it doubtful all the games could be completed in time on the natural grass and dirt field at the originally scheduled host venue, The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach, ME.
Friday saw CMCC defeat YCCC 5-4 with a come-from-behind win to secure their spot in Saturday's championship. Game two featured #4 seeded NHTI upsetting #3 seeded SMCC, 9-7 in the first elimination game of the day.
The Lynx had started the postseason tournament by knocking off #5 UMaine-Augusta in the play-in game before a 7-0 defeat at the hands of the Mustangs in Auburn earlier in the week. They scored seven times in the first three innings before holding off the Seawolves. Southern Maine had survived a scare from #6 Great Bay in their play-in game, rallying in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off win. SMCC then received its first loss in the same way thanks to a York County walk-off in their meeting on Tuesday.
The final game of Friday was a battle between #4 NHTI and #2 YCCC with both trying to keep their seasons alive. The Lynx continued their impressive playoff performance by going up 3-0 in the top of the first, only to see the Hawks tie the game in the bottom half. After three innings, York County led 11-7. NHTI pulled two back in the top of the fourth but gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Down to their last three outs and trailing by four, the Lynx put two across the plate. However, YSCC Player of the Year Jack Sullivan got Charles Hibbert to ground out and complete a 14-12 victory.
On Saturday, York County came into the day knowing they would have to defeat Central Maine twice in order to claim their first conference championship. The Hawks started YSCC Pitcher of the Year Brady Batson against Augustino Bonadie for the Mustangs. York County's freshman phenom was on his third appearance in eight days and struggled in the second inning, allowing five runs on RBIs by Dawson Babineau, Cody Cleaveland, and T.J. Kramarz.
Brody Emery scored on a wild pitch in the top of the third to pull one back for YCCC, but that would prove to be the team's lone run of the day. Brendan Mahaney drove in fellow All-Conference selection Jake Calver with an RBI double in the bottom of the third and came around to score on a Garren Post grounder that led to an error, making it 7-1.
A bases-loaded walk to Mahaney in the fourth made it 8-1 and marked the end of Batson's day on the mound. Calver scored on a wild pitch from reliever Cameron Sengenberger in the sixth to round out the scoring. Bonadie continued to keep the Hawks off balance and retired the side in order in the seventh to complete the 9-1 win. The freshman from Moncton, NB finished the day with seven strikeouts while allowing just five hits.
His stellar performance on the mound earned him YSCC Tournament MVP honors. CMCC Catcher Zac Gorman was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player for his work behind the plate calling the game and throwing out runners, while YCCC's Sullivan was selected as Most Outstanding Offensive Player after racking up four RBIs on five hits, four runs scored, three walks, and two extra-base hits in the tournament.
Central Maine receives the YSCC's automatic bid to the USCAA Small College World Series. It will be the program's second straight and fourth overall trip to the national tournament. Things get started in DuBois, PA on May 10th with the Small College World Series Banquet where the USCAA All-Americans and All-Academic teams will be revealed before the home run derby event that night. The first games of the tournament are scheduled to start on May 11th, being played at Stern Field and Showers Field.