WALDOBORO — The Augusta 12U Little League All-Star team scored five runs in the fifth inning Friday and beat Bonny Eagle 9-3 to advance to the championship of the state baseball tournament.
Augusta will play Bangor in the state final at 2 p.m. Saturday, where it will have to win twice to win the state title.
“We had our big inning and that was good for us,” said Augusta Coach Mike Karagiannes. “Our pitching was strong. Our defense was good – just good fundamentals.”
Augusta second baseman Manny Stevenson was 4 for 4 with two RBI and a pair of runs, and first baseman Ben Allen was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI.
Landon Perry got the win, striking out nine.
Stevenson credits his breakfast (donuts and orange juice) for his batting performance.
“I had a good breakfast this morning. If you have a good breakfast, you automatically play good,” said Stevenson.
For Bonny Eagle, starting pitcher Nathan Collins allowed two earned runs and struck out seven before being pulled in the fifth after reaching his maximum pitch count.
“They got the momentum shift with a couple of big hits,” said Bonny Eagle Coach Chris Collins. “They’re good at hitting. They’re a really good team.”
Allen and Stevenson each drove in a run to give Augusta a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Bonny Eagle got within a run in the top of the fourth when Nathan Collins drove home shortstop Jackson Humphrey.
Collins drove in another run in the sixth inning, again driving in Humphrey.
In the bottom of the fourth, Augusta shortstop Drew Lindquist drove in a run with a deep shot to left field, before scoring on a Bonny Eagle error for a 4-1 lead.
Then Augusta pulled away in the fifth.
Allen drove in two runs with a double to make it 6-1. Soon after, Stevenson drove home Allen with a ground-rule double, after his deep shot to left-field bounced just feet in front of the fence.
Stevenson scored on a Bonny Eagle error, and catcher Kolton Colby made it 9-1 when he stole home.
“All these kids make my job easier,” Karagiannes said with a laugh. “I just have to stay out of their way. They know what they’re doing.”
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