Bessey Motors answered every time Queen City scored on Sunday, with the final blow coming from Bessey in extra innings to earn a 5-4 win and avoid elimination in the American Legion baseball state tournament at Husson University in Bangor. 

In the seventh inning, Bessey Motors had two runners on base and no outs but were shut out in the run column.

With the game tied 3-3 entering the eighth inning, Queen City’s Kolby Moore led off the top of the frame with a single and was later moved over on a bunt and error to third. Moore then scored on a wild pitch from reliever Ethan Cutler to give Queen City the late 4-3 lead. 

In the bottom-half of the inning, Hunter Tardiff led off Bessey Motors’ inning with a walk, followed by a wild pitch that advanced him to second. Wyatt Knightly got on via a bunt, followed by an error that led to Tardiff crossing home and tying the game at 4-4. 

Two batters later, Matt Doucette hit a single and scored Knightly for the game-winning run. 

“You would think leaving two runners on base in the seventh would deflate us,” Bessey Motors coach Shane Slicer said. “There’s still a lot of fight in them, it’s do or die. The guy they put in was effective but a little wild at times, we executed really well with the bunt and then they made a mistake. We had been having trouble scoring runs with guys in scoring position so Matt getting a base hit was huge. A number of at-bats, we had one out at that time but it was a good at-bat and hit a line drive. I think we executed a little bit better at that time.”

When Queen City started the scoring in the top-half of the fifth with two runs, Bessey Motors answered with two runs in the bottom-half of the inning. The same thing happened in the sixth when the two teams each scored a run.

Turner Bandits 9, Charlie’s Family of Dealerships 2

After falling behind early, the Turner Bandits strung runs together in the third and seventh innings to earn a 9-2 win Sunday over Charlie’s Family of Dealerships and advance in the Maine American Legion baseball state tournament. 

Turner will play Bessey Motors at 8 p.m. on Monday. 

Turner’s Fischer Cormier pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing just five hits and notching eight strikeouts to earn the win on the mound. 

“We got great pitching from Fischer Cormier,” Turner assistant coach Ryan Palmer said. “He was pounding the strike zone, had great control of his pitches and the defense made great plays behind him, they made stellar plays. Cole Brown made a great reaching catch in left field that probably saved a triple and two runs and they made every play they were supposed to.”

Palmer and head coach Chuck Mollica have spoken about Cormier’s prowess this season and his importance to the Bandits, and Palmer echoed it again Sunday night. 

“He’s been absolutely huge,” Palmer said. “Getting that summer ball time with him has been huge and he’s definitely been our MVP. They knew they would get a good pitching performance out of the pitcher and I’m not surprised he’s the pitcher he is.”

At the plate, Turner scored a run in the first and then allowed Charlie’s only two runs of the game in the bottom of the frame. In the third and seventh innings, Turner scored four runs each to pull away from the competition. Matt Wallingford, Jayden Ruel, Cormier, Dallas Berry and Garrett Mollica each tallied two hits.

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American Legion baseball: Bessey Motors, Turner Bandits both fall in state tournament opener

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