Ever find traipsing two hours north for a baseball game between two teams that are within 30 miles of each other a bit annoying?
Apparently so did the Maine Principal’s Association.
Today’s Eastern Class A baseball showdown between Edward Little and Oxford Hills has been moved from Mansfield Stadium in Bangor to Morton Field in Augusta. The time of the game has also changed, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“The biggest thing it affects is the people being able to see it,” said Oxford Hills coach Shane Slicer. “The people that follow the team would probably have a hard time getting to the game on a work day two hours away, but at five it’s less of a problem. I think the teams would have been OK either way, but now it’s more convenient for everyone else.”
The teams will no longer have to wake up early and spend the first part of their day on a bus, which was another positive side to the move.
“We save on travel and we save on gas,” said EL coach Scott Annear. “Also, like most schools I would suspect, we are in finals, so we don’t have to pull the kids out early anymore. As for as the team itself, just tell us where and we’ll be there. We’re all so excited, we just want to play, and now it’s one less thing to worry about.”
The Eastern Class A softball championship game between Messalonskee and Cony, originally scheduled for Brewer High School, has also been moved to Augusta, to Cony Park at Cony High School at 7 p.m.
“People in both areas will be able to get to the game quicker and enjoy it,” said Oxford Hills Athletic Director Jeff Benson. “Anytime you can travel 70 or so miles instead of 130 or 140, and anytime you can wait to pull the kids out of school until 1 p.m., instead of 10 a.m., it helps. It was just a wise and prudent decision.”
The MPA also moved Saturday’s Class A title games from Bangor and Brewer to Augusta as well, with the baseball game being played at Morton at 4 p.m. and the softball game at Cony Park, also at 4 p.m.
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