Bangor East surprises South Portland in mercy rule win

By Ron Hawkes
MaineSportsReport.com

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy the South Portland National 11-12 year old Little League baseball team had not lost a game in their District 6 tournament and went into Saturday nights state tournament championship game unbeaten in the run to the title only to run into a momentum driven Bangor East.

Bangor East used that momentum along with the power of Justin Courtney and the pitching of Andrew Hillier to mercy South Portland 13-2 in five innings to force a second and deciding game of the double elimination state championship.

Bangor East's Justin Courtney gets congratulated by teammate Alex Welch as he heads home after his second home run of the game Saturday in Thomaston. Bangor East won 13-2. Photo by Skip Hawkes

Bangor East (4-1) and South Portland (3-1) will play the final game of the State 11-12 Little League Tournament Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Thomaston Little League Field for all the marbles.

Hillier threw 79 pitches in the win for Bangor allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four.

Ryan Ruhlin, Felix Del Vecchio and Christopher Foley took the mound for South Portland in the loss allowing 13 runs, on 11 hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

South Portland National Ryan Ruhlin gets all of this fast ball as he drives it over the right-center field fence for a two run home run in the second inning of Saturday's game in Thomaston. Photo by Ron Hawkes

Courtney paced Bangor at the plate (2 home runs, single, 3 runs, 5 RBIs), Liam Harrigan (home run, 2 runs, RBI), Hillier (double, single, 2 runs), Alex Welch (2 double, single, 2 runs), Ben Crichton (single, 2 RBIs), Ryan Brookings (single), James Deane (single, run), Ryan Moore (run), Marcus McCue (run) and Nick Moore (run).

For South Portland, Ruhlin (home run, run, 2 RBIs), Foley (double), Anthony Degifico (single) and Matt Beecher (run).

Bangor East scored three runs in the first and third innings, two each in the second and fourth and put the game away in the fifth when Crichton walked, Hillier doubled and Courtney followed with a three run blast, his second home run of the game, to give Bangor the 13-2 lead and eventual win.

Click here for all the photo galleries from the state 11-12 tournament.