Bangor Babes 1 win away from summer baseball league championship

The Bangor Babes are one win away from a Greater Northeast Collegiate Baseball League championship, but they are going to have to travel quite a distance to get that victory, beginning on Tuesday.

The first-year Babes went 14-4 during the regular season to earn the top seed for the playoffs and dispatched Augusta 13-4 in the semifinals at Mahaney Diamond in Orono last Friday.

That earned them a berth in the best-of-three championship series against second seed and fellow first-year franchise Old Orchard Beach (17-6) and the Babes won the opener 10-9 on Sunday afternoon at the Central Maine Community College field in Auburn.

Game two will be at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Goodall Park in Sanford, and, if Old Orchard Beach triumphs, the deciding game will be played at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach on Wednesday at a time to be determined.

It is 162 miles one way from Bangor to Sanford and 147 to Old Orchard Beach.

Max Salevsky, the commissioner of the GNCBL, said the playoff game sites were pre-determined based on “field availability.”

Husson University’s Winkin Complex in Bangor, where the Babes played their regular season games, is being readied for Husson’s football season and wasn’t available.

That’s why they procured Mahaney Diamond for their semifinal game.

Babes head coach Trevor DeLaite said it would have been nice to not have to travel, especially after earning the top seed.

With the revolving door of players that goes with summer baseball, DeLaite has found himself constantly tinkering with his roster.

But the Babes have found a way to rack up wins no matter who is in the lineup.

“We’re bare bones now in terms of numbers,” said DeLaite. “But we’ve been able to piece it together slowly.

“The schedule has helped us navigate potential pitching issues,” he said, referring to the fact they haven’t had to play a lot of games in a short period of time due, in part, to rainouts.

The former Bangor High, University of Maine and Liberty University pitching standout noted that some of his pitchers have had quality performances of late during appearances that were longer than usual.

Allen Wheaton of Glenburn and John Bapst High School, who pitches for Husson, tossed 7 ⅓ innings of shutout baseball on Sunday to earn the win.

Another Husson pitcher, Alex Smith from Northborough, Mass., had thrown five innings of six-hit, one-run ball to pick up the win over Augusta.

In the Old Orchard Beach win, the Babes built an 8-0 lead before the Bugs rallied against the Bangor bullpen, scoring seven runs in the top of the eighth inning.

But Old Town’s Matt Seymour responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to make it 10-7.

Left fielder Griffin Ruffner from Exeter, N.H. and Northern Essex Community College (Mass.) threw the tying run out at the plate for the dramatic final out in the top of the ninth after the Bugs had scored twice.

Shortstop Liam O’Neal of Tenants Harbor, who plays at the University of Bridgeport, had belted a three-run homer earlier to help build the 8-0 lead.

In the semifinal victory over Augusta, the Babes stole nine bases and were paced by O’Neal, third baseman Tanner Evans from Greenbush and first baseman Sam Economy from Hampden.

O’Neal had three hits and walked twice, scored three times, knocked in two and stole three bases. Evans and Economy had two hits apiece. Evans drove in three runs and Economy delivered a pair of runs.

DeLaite was named the league’s Coach of the Year and the Babes also received Organization of the Year honors.

Colton Albertson, general manager of the Babes, said earning the Organization of the Year award couldn’t have been accomplished “without the support of the local community and local businesses” as well as DeLaite, his coaching staff (assistants Derek Fournier and Tyler Parke) and the players.

And he added that DeLaite was richly deserving of the Coach of the Year honor.

“The players have tremendous respect for Trevor as do I,” said Albertson.