2014 Baseball Playoffs

Wed, 06/18/2014 - 8:00pm

BEN BULKELEY, Staff Reporter

THE WISCASSET Wolverines varsity baseball team is tops in Western Class D after knocking-off Buckfield, 4-0, Wednesday, June 18. The team is, back row, from left: Coach Chet Grover, Brycson Grover, Tyler Bailey, Logan Orr, Matt Craig, Grant Hefler, Conlon Ranta, Head Coach Mike Bowles. Front row, from left: Darren Wood, Nate Howard, Chandler Longfellow, Cass Carr and Tyler Flavin. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper

CASS CARR, front, gives Tyler Bailey a bear hug after the final out of the Wednesday, June 18 Western Class D Maine baseball final. Wiscasset won, 4-0, behind Bailey’s four-hit shutout of the Buckfield High School Bucks. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper

BRYCSON GROVER does his best Dustin Pedroia impersonation to scoop up a ground ball Wednesday, June 18. Grover made an impact with his glove and bat: The speedy second baseman prevent extra bases on this play and scored Wiscasset’s second run. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper

THIRD BASEMAN Grant Hefler made a nifty play on this ground ball by throwing over the ducking Tyler Bailey and nabbing the Buckfield runner at first. Hefler would also score Wiscasset’s first run in a 4-0 win over Buckfield to advance to the state championships. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper

TYLER FLAVIN puts a charge into the ball against Buckfield Wednesday, June 18. Although it was a quiet day in the field for the Wiscasset leftfielder, Flavin had a pair of RBI. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper

TYLER BAILEY delivers a pitch in the third inning of Wiscasset’s 4-0 win Wednesday in the Western Class D region finals. Bailey threw a four-hitter to help propel WIscasset to its first championship game. BEN BULKELEY/Wiscasset Newspaper

With his young pitcher appearing to tense up in the sixth inning of the Western Class D Finals, Wiscasset Head Coach Mike Bowles took a walk to the mound.

Was it to pull pitcher Tyler Bailey, who was twirling a shutout, or to talk strategy during the final innings of the Western Class D finals?

“I actually went out there just to tell him a joke,” Bowles said. “I just wanted him to get loose, to relax a little. It's something I've been doing lately: Just going out, telling our guys to relax, loosen up.”

What else have the Wolverines been doing lately?

Winning.

Behind Bowles' jokes and Bailey's pitching the Wolverines knocked off second-seeded Buckfield, 4-0, to advance to the state final game for the first time in Wiscasset's history. The Class D championship will be at 3 p.m. Saturday in Bangor at Mansfield Field against Eastern Class D Champions Bangor Christian.

On Wednesday, June 18 Wiscasset also wanted to do to Buckfield's Jonah Williams what it did against Richmond's Mike Stewart on Saturday, June 14, Bowles said.

“(Williams) threw 90-plus pitches in his last start, and we got him to throw 36 pitches in the first inning,” he said. “It was really hot and humid, and we wanted to make him sweat a little.”

One of Wiscasset's goals was to get on the board early and put the pressure on a seasoned Buckfield squad playing at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.

The first three batters of the game reached base before shortstop Chandler Longfellow drove home third baseman Grant Hefler for the game's first run. A Bailey groundout would bring home second baseman Brycson Grover for the second run.

That lead would hold up, and it gave Bailey an early lift.

“It helps a lot when your teammates can go out and get you a couple of runs – it boosted my confidence,” he said.

Heading into the game, Bailey said that while he felt good in warm-ups, his signature pitch, a diving curveball, wasn't working for him.

“Midway through the game, I finally got a feel for it,” he said. “That definitely helped me through the rest of the game.”

What also helped Bailey was near-perfect defense behind him. Grover made several spectacular plays at second; centerfielder Matt Craig left his feet to snag a fly ball; rightfielder Nate Howard made several plays including a run-saving throw, and first baseman Cass Carr picked several balls in the dirt.

Wiscasset would score again in the fourth inning after Craig blooped a triple into right field to lead off the inning. He would come on a wild pitch to give leftfielder Tyler Flavin an RBI and Wiscasset a 3-0 lead.

Craig would score again in the top of the sixth on a Hefler base hit to cap the scoring at 4-0.

While Wiscasset will savor its first regional title, the team isn't satisfied yet, Bowles said.

“We haven't won a state title yet,” he said. “We have one game left and I want them to remain calm and loose.”

But, Bowles will still keep a joke handy, just in case.