Tucked to the edge of the St. Joseph’s College campus that is itself tucked on the eastern shore of Sebago Lake, Mahaney Diamond can be a tough place to find. Teams and their fans traveling to Standish for the high school baseball tournament finals there have been known to get lost along the way.
That won’t be a problem for St. Dom’s and Rangeley, who will play for the Western C and D titles, respectively, this week.
St. Dom’s will compete in its seventh straight Western C championship game when it meets Hall-Dale at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Saints (17-1) had a run of four consecutive regional titles snapped last year by Livermore Falls, a loss they avenged in Saturday’s semifinal with a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Andies.
Livermore Falls limited the Saints to just two hits, but Casey Parker made the most of the second one, ripping a game-winning two-run single in the bottom of the seventh. The senior second baseman sparks the offense from the top of a lineup that also features Greg LaBonte and Richard Paradis. Alex Parker, Casey’s younger brother, has been a key to the defense, solidifying the infield at shortstop, where he’s made just one error all season.
Lefty Chris Bryant emerged as the Saints’ No. 1 starter as the season unfolded, leading a staff that tossed eight shutouts during the regular season. Bryant picked up the win Saturday with five innings of relief. He entered the game just one batter in, but went back to the outfield for the second inning. He returned one batter into the third inning, then sat out the fourth again before beginning a hitless, three-inning stint in the fifth.
The Saints wanted to keep some bullets in the chamber for Bryant to use on Wednesday and it paid off. He threw just 42 pitches in the outing.
“I didn’t want to use Chris completely up for seven innings, even though he could still pitch on Wednesday,” Saints coach Bob Blackman said.
The second-seeded Bulldogs (14-3) are making their first trip to the Western C championship since 2001, when they won the second state title in school history. They are riding a pair of one-run victories in the tournament, including a 1-0 squeaker over Dirigo in the semifinals.
Pitching has been Hall-Dale’s biggest strength this season. Dylan Dupont was the most dominant pitcher in the Mountain Valley Conference this year and threw the complete game shutout against Dirigo. Ryan Leach gives the Bulldogs another strong arm to utilize. Offensively, Dupont, Leach, Tyler Cummings and Jake Levesque are the key pieces to the lineup.
Rangeley will make its fourth straight appearance in the Western D final at 7 p.m. Tuesday. It will also be the fourth year in a row that the second-seeded Lakers have met No. 1 Richmond for the title. The Bobcats took the first edition in 2006, but the Lakers have walked off with the hardware the last two times, including a 3-0 blanking last year.
The Lakers (13-2) and Bobcats (14-3) renewed hostilities twice already this season, splitting the decisions. Rangeley won in April, 2-1, paced by Pat Anthony’s 12 strikeout performance. Richmond responded on May 27 by breaking open a close game late for a 6-1 victory.
Coming off a 6-5 extra-inning scare in the semifinals against No. 3 Buckfield, Rangeley brings less playoff experience than Richmond into Tuesday’s contest. Three starters from last year’s game remain on the roster – Zac Abbott, Ross Gordon and Jordan Richard
New additions and players returning after some time away from the team have been key to the Lakers’ success this season. Anthony picked up the win in relief against Buckfield and could get the starting nod for a third time against Richmond. His battery-mate will be Craig Marshall, also a transfer from Carrabassett Valley Academy. Quinn Philbrick, a senior outfielder, returned from a knee injury that made him sit out last season .
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