It was all over for the Bangor Christian Patriots. Their dominant baseball season looked likely to stall in the Class D North regional championship against the Machias Bulldogs.
Then the unthinkable happened.
Down 4-2 and starting the bottom of seventh and final inning toward the end of their order, Bangor Christian paired some timely hitting with a few Machias miscues and walked off with a 5-4 win courtesy of a clutch single from second baseman Jack Kowalski.
The magical inning for the Patriots started with a flyout. Then Gabe Gahagan got the rally going by being hit by a pitch. Caleb Martin then drew a walk. A Machias error on a grounder from Jon Benjamin allowed both Gahagan and Martin to score, tying the game in unlikely fashion.
Benjamin advanced to second on that same play, and Machias then decided to intentionally walk Bangor Christian star Cole Payne and face Kowalski instead.
He made them pay.
Kowalski sent a pitch into centerfield and Benjamin scored from second, sending the Patriots on to the Class D state championship on Saturday.
“We’re just such a tight group, and we all came together for that,” Kowalski said about his team’s comeback win.
Bangor Christian entered the regional title game with just one loss on the season — a 2-1 to this same Machias team on May 16. And for much of Tuesday’s game, it looked like history might repeat itself.
The Bulldogs got to Patriots starter Payne for two runs in the first inning. But the Mr. Maine Baseball finalist proved why he is considered one of the best senior players in the state, steadying the ship and tossing several scoreless innings.
“There at the beginning, I was kind of struggling, trying to execute pitches,” Payne said after the win. “But once I got adjusted, I felt like nobody can hit me. And when they did, I have people behind me trying their best to make the plays.”
Bangor Christian coach Tim Collins was happy with the way Payne was able to regain control of the game.
“For him to settle down and pitch well, that’s why he’s our player of the year, for sure,” Collins said.
Machias added two runs late in the sixth inning, but that cushion wasn’t quite enough.
The miraculous comeback for the Patriots spoiled an otherwise fantastic day for Machias pitcher Mickey Fitzsimmons, who threw all seven innings for the Bulldogs and only gave up three earned runs on six hits.
“I love Mickey. Mickey’s a great kid. Heck of a pitcher,” Collins said about the opposing hurler from Machias. “He just pitches to contact, keeps the ball low.”
Fitzsimmons was similarly complimentary of the Patriots even after losing in such heartbreaking fashion.
“It was a tough one. They’re a really good team,” Fitzsimmons said. “So just proud of the way we battled, but wish we came out on top.”
He noted that the two teams know each other well, having played nine times in the last three years.
“They’re good, Cole is nasty,” Fitzsimmons said. “And they’re all good — good hitters, very deep in the lineup.”
That deep lineup made all the difference at the end of Tuesday’s game, with eighth hitter Gahagan getting the rally started and the top of the order closing it out.
“I knew in the end if we got up to the top [of the lineup] with runners on, we would give them a problem,” said Payne, who hit second in the order on Tuesday. “And Jack delivered right at the end for us.”
Even when Payne was intentionally walked, Collins had nothing but confidence in the batter behind him.
“Jack has really carried us down the stretch,” Collins said about his number three hitter in the lineup. “So when they walked [Payne] I was very comfortable with that.”
Kowalski credited his teammates for keeping the energy up throughout the game, despite trailing until the very end.
“It’s indescribable, it’s awesome,” the game-winning hitter said afterward.
