Baseball

Thornton Academy 0

Gorham 1

In only his second start of the season, Andrew Dean pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, as Gorham defeated Thornton Academy, 1-0, in the Western Class A semifinals Monday.

Dean’s only other start came against Massabesic in the SMAA quarterfinals, a game the Rams won, 4-0.

“He probably wouldn’t have pitched today if I hadn’t seen him pitch in the (SMAA) tournament,” Gorham coach Rocky Myers said.

Pitching at home, Dean used a change-up and curveball to keep Thornton’s hitters off balance the entire game.

“I’m not a big strikeout pitcher,” the junior right-hander said. “They’re going to hit the ball, so I have to keep the ball down so they hit it on the ground.”

Dean was able to do just that, inducing 13 ground outs to only three flyball outs, while also striking out five.

“He throws a naturally running ball and you don’t see that a lot in high school,” Myers said. “The reason you have a good hitting team that’s uncomfortable is that the ball’s constantly moving.”

Thornton pitcher Josh Doyle (6-1) nearly matched Dean’s gem of an outing. The senior allowed four hits, while striking out four and walking three. The only run he surrendered was unearned.

Leading off the third inning, Gorham’s Justin Villacci struck out, but reached first when the ball got past TA catcher Travis Adams.

“He made a great pitch on (Villacci) with two strikes, a curveball in the dirt,” Thornton coach Greg Paradis said. “The ball looked like it hit something and kind of went the other way on Travis.”

Villacci stole second and reached third when Joel Mundy grounded out. Scott MacDonald then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Villacci before the Rams had recorded a hit in the inning.

“(Villacci) pressured us on the base paths,” Paradis said. “He has great speed. We almost had an opportunity to throw the guy out at home plate. Craig (Perham) has one of the strongest arms on our team and he wasn’t that deep.”

Thornton had a chance to tie the score in the fourth, when Perham singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on Adams’ groundout.

However, Doyle grounded to third, where Justin Grandmaison faked a throw to first and caught Perham, who was attempting to advance, in a rundown.

“Those plays aren’t made by someone that’s been there part time,” Myers said. “Those plays are made by your stud third baseman. That’s the stuff you try and go over.”

Perham was eventually tagged out by MacDonald, but not without controversy. Paradis argued that Perham was interfered with on the base path by a Gorham player. The TA coach said he received differing explanations from the umpires, none of which satisfied him.

“The guy at first says there is contact but (the runner) initiated it,” Paradis said. “The guy at third says there’s no contact. I’m just not happy with it.”

Myers knew that if Gorham (14-3) was to have a chance at reaching the Western Maine final, somebody other than his ace, Mark Schmidt, was going to have to win a game.

Myers and the Rams also knew that Dean, the point guard on Gorham’s basketball team, could handle the situation.

“It’s not like he hasn’t been in games or he hasn’t been in pressure situations,” Myers said. “The kids all know that he’s a gamer.”

However, not many of those games came on the baseball diamond.

“I was on varsity,” said Dean, when discussing his season. “I was on the bench most of the time.”

Gorham was in the semifinal after defeating Massabesic, 9-2, on Friday. Schmidt pitched a complete game for the win, moving his season record to 8-0 and career record to 27-0.

Schmidt was scheduled to pitch again Tuesday, with Gorham facing Portland in the Western Maine final. A win would put the Rams in the state title game Saturday at noon at St. Joe’s.