Class B baseball: Brewer tops Wells for title on walk-off hit

Josiah Cyr's bases-loaded single gives the Witches a 3-2 win for their first baseball state championship.

BANGOR — Wells High played sound baseball for 5 1/2 innings. But an opportunistic Brewer team took advantage of Warriors miscues late in the game.

The Witches scored two unearned runs to tie the game in the sixth, then celebrated with a walk-off single in the seventh for a 3-2 victory in the Class B baseball state championship game Saturday at Mansfield Stadium.

Brewer (15-5) earned its first baseball state championship when Josiah Cyr’s deep single to right with one out and the bases loaded drove in the winning run.

Wells finished 17-3. Tyler Carpenter, a sophomore, pitched a four-hitter and struck out six.

“That was a gutsy performance by him,” Wells senior catcher Michael Wrigley said. “It’s tough that we couldn’t make the plays behind him late in the game.”

Early, the Warriors were making the plays, including a diving catch by right fielder Covy Dufort and a pickoff by Wrigley.

“We’ve preached pitching and defense all six years I’ve been here,” Wells Coach Todd Day said.

And small ball. The Warriors got both of their runs with singles and stolen bases.

Wells went up 1-0 in the first inning. Liam Bell singled to center and stole second. With two outs and a full count, Wrigley singled, lining a ball off pitcher Evan Andrews that rolled into left field, scoring Bell.

Brewer threatened in the fourth with a leadoff single and a walk. Carpenter responded: getting up a pop-up to second base, a strikeout and a groundout.

“I couldn’t have dreamed of a better performance from my guy on the mound,” Day said. “He was incredible. A sophomore goes out there and puts his nerves aside. He gave us every chance to win that game.”

Andrews also pitched well (5 1/3 innings, four hits and two runs) and had errorless defense behind him.

In the fifth, shortstop Kobe Rogerson was in on all three outs, sandwiching two running catches in the outfield around charging a slow grounder and firing to first for the out.

“There aren’t many Kobes around,” Brewer Coach Dana Corey said.

“Both pitchers kept everybody at bay. It was going to be who made a mistake or who got a hit in the right spot.”

Wells got another key hit in the sixth. Tyler Bridge singled with one out and stole second. Andrews left the mound because of cramping in his wrist and was relieved by Rogerson. With two outs, Gary Andrews singled to center, scoring Bridge for a 2-0 lead.

But with one out in the bottom of the sixth, two infield throwing errors put runners on second and third. A groundout brought in one run, and a wild pitch tied the game.

Matt Tufts led off the top of the seventh with a single, but Rogerson retired the next three batters.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kyle Goodrich led off with a single to left. He reached second on a wild pitch, then moved to third on Ben Byorak’s sacrifice bunt.

Hunter Russell grounded to short, and Goodrich was caught in a rundown between third and home, but Wells misplayed it and Goodrich got back to third.

After an intentional walk to load the bases, Cyr came to bat.

“I just wanted a sacrifice fly,” said Cyr. “It felt amazing off the bat.”

It might have been a sacrifice fly under normal circumstances, but with the fielders playing in, it sailed over the right fielder’s head for the winning single.

“This whole season we’ve been a late-game team,” Rogerson said. “It’s exciting but it’s nerve-wracking.”

The last time Brewer was in a state championship game was a 2008, when it lost to Deering in Class A. Brewer moved down to Class B this year.

Wells was looking for its first state championship since winning the Class C title in 1980.

“We had a chance to make a few plays and finish the game and it just didn’t happen,” Day said. “That’s athletics. Got to give Brewer credit for hanging in there and doing what they had to to get the win.”