Yarmouth stuns Greely in improbable fashion in regional final

STANDISH—The prospect was unthinkable.

Even for the Cardiac Clippers.

Having to win a game which they squandered scoring opportunities all afternoon and were down to their final strike, with an unheralded player, a reserve most of the spring, at the plate with the season on the line.

But Yarmouth’s baseball team not only defied the odds against longtime rival Greely in the Class B South Final at the Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of St. Joseph’s College Tuesday afternoon.

The Clippers defied belief.

And some how, some way, earned a chance to finish the job that last year’s squad started.

After turning a couple of nice defensive plays to escape the top of the first, the top-ranked Rangers went on top in the bottom half, as a two errors and an RBI ground out from senior leftfielder Ryder Simpson scored a run, but in what would become a recurring theme, they missed an opportunity to open it up, loading the bases with no outs, but not pushing anything more across.

That set a tone of waste-not, want-not frustration, as Greely left the bases loaded in the third, while second-seeded Yarmouth stranded eight runners in the first four innings, including the bases loaded in the top of the third, then left two more on base in the fifth.

After the Rangers left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, the reigning regional champion Clippers had one final chance and no one does final chances like this group of miracle makers.

Three days after shocking No. 3 York on a walk=off, two-run bunt in the bottom of the seventh in the semifinals, Yarmouth rallied in more traditional fashion.

With one out, senior Sam Lowenstein, who didn’t have his best stuff on the mound, but battled through it into the sixth inning, singled to get things going. Senior first baseman Jack Janczuk, the hero of the York victory, then drew a walk.

Greely senior starter Sam Almy was replaced by freshman Kyle Soule, who hadn’t surrendered a hit or a run all season and Soule put the Rangers on the brink of victory by striking out senior centerfielder Sam Bradford, bringing junior second baseman Alec Gagnon to the plate.

Gagnon, only starting because senior Matt Gautreau has missed the postseason due to injury, had already made a pair of errors and struck out with the bases loaded, but his teammates had full confidence he’d rise to the occasion and did he ever, producing one of the biggest hits in program history, turning around a 2-2 fastball and driving it to deep centerfield to score the tying and go-ahead runs.

Senior Andrew Cheever, who had worked out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the top of the sixth, then worked around a two-out error in the bottom half, getting Soule to ground to Gagnon, fittingly, who threw to second for the game-ending force out and the Clippers had successfully walked the high-wire again, prevailing in jaw-dropping fashion, 2-1.

Yarmouth improved to 15-4, repeated as regional champion, ended Greely’s fine season at 16-3 and in the process, advanced to battle Caribou (12-7) in the Class B state final Saturday at 4:30 p.m., at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

“You’ve got to believe,” said Clippers coach/miracle worker Marc Halsted, after his 199th and arguably most unforgettable victory with the program. “Yarmouth kids play for championships and (the moment) wasn’t too big for them. These kids don’t care about the score. If we were down three, the attitude would have been, ‘Let’s go score four.’ That’s a great mentality. You can’t play baseball afraid. This is what you wake up for. It’s spectacular.”

Championship effort

Greely and Yarmouth came into the season highly touted and wound up atop the Class B South standings after each produced terrific regular seasons (see sidebar for links to previous stories).

The Rangers dropped two one-run decisions to the Clippers and beat their other 14 foes to locked up the top seed for the tournament.

Greely then eliminated No. 8 Freeport in the quarterfinals, 11-1, in five-innings, before holding off No. 4 Cape Elizabeth in a semifinal round thriller Saturday, 5-4.

Yarmouth, meanwhile, lost this year to Cape Elizabeth, Freeport, Wells and York, but won 12 other games to finish second in the region.

The Clippers then avenged losses in the first two rounds, first dispatching the seventh-ranked Warriors, 13-3, in six-innings, in the quarterfinals, then rallying for an unforgettable 5-4 semifinal round win over the third-seeded Wildcats Saturday, in a game which saw two long weather delays.

On May 1 in Cumberland, Lowenstein threw a one-hitter, fanning seven, and Bradford’s RBI single produced the lone run in a 1-0 Yarmouth victory. Two weeks later, the host Clippers got a game-tying home run from Lowenstein, then won it, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh, as senior catcher Graeme Roux singled home Bradford to end it.

Last year, Yarmouth defeated Greely, 6-1, in the semifinals, cutting the Rangers’ all-time lead in the teams’ postseason series, which dates to 2022, to 5-3.

Tuesday, on a cloudy but comfortable 72 degree afternoon, in front of a large and vocal crowd, Greely looked to punch its ticket to the regional final for the first time since 2015, but the Clippers instead made it six straight against their rival, as they dug deep into the recesses of their championship soul to survive and advance.

The game began auspiciously for Yarmouth, as Cheever, who started at shortstop, took two balls, then was plunked by an Almy pitch and senior David Swift, the third baseman, followed with a what looked to be a bloop single to center, but instead it resulted in a force out at second, as Cheever had to hold up to make sure the ball dropped and once it did, senior centerfielder Jackson Leding grabbed the ball on one hop and threw to second for the force out. Almy then fired strike three past Lowenstein before getting Janczuk to hit the ball sharply toward the hole between first and second, but junior second baseman Owen Pieseik got to the ball and threw out the batter to retire the side.

The bottom half started in identical fashion, as Lowenstein missed with two pitches, then hit junior catcher Wyatt Soucie in the back.

And Greely took advantage, but could have had much more.

After Lowenstein threw a wild pitch to move Soucie to second, senior third baseman Marky Axelsen hit a one-hop shot that bounced off Swift for an infield single, putting runners at the corners. With senior leftfielder Ryder Simpson at the plate, Axelsen stole second and Simpson, on a full count, grounded to second, easily scoring Soucie, and when Gagnon bobbled the ball for an error, runners were at first and third. Junior rightfielder Wes Piper was next and after Simpson stole second, Piper squibbed the ball in front of the plate and reached when Lowenstein’s throw to first was wide for another error, loading the bases. That brought up junior first baseman Ben Kyles, who had produced multiple clutch hits this season, but he struck out swinging. Almy then grounded a 1-1 pitch up the middle, but Cheever got to it, scooped up a tough hop, stepped on second for one out, then threw to first just in time to complete the inning-ending double play, keeping the deficit at just one.

Yarmouth had a chance to answer in the top of the second, as Bradford, the centerfielder, crushed the first pitch he saw deep into the gap in left-center for a leadoff double. Gagnon then drew a walk on a full count and both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt from senior rightfielder Max Gilbert, but Almy reared back and fanned senior designated hitter Aaron Mason on an 0-2 pitch, then got Roux to fly out deep to left to preserve the lead.

Lowenstein then escaped the bottom half, with some big help from his shortstop and centerfielder, as he got Soule, who began the game at shortstop, and senior designated hitter Ethan Robeck to both ground out to Cheever and after Leding went the other way and lined a single down the leftfield line, then stole second, Soucie blooped a single to center, but Bradford got to the ball and fired a strike to Roux at the plate, who tagged out Leding to keep the score 1-0.

Yarmouth had a golden opportunity to pull even or go ahead in the top of the third, but left the bases loaded.

Cheever led off with a grounder to Soule at short, who handled a tough hop and threw out the runner. Swift then lined a double down the leftfield line, diving in safely at second. Lowenstein then caught the Rangers by surprise, bunting in front of the plate for a single putting runners at the corners. Janczuk walked on a 3-1 pitch to load the bases, bringing up Bradford. Almy then bore down and caught Bradford looking at strike three before fanning Gagnon to escape the jam.

Greely then missed an opportunity of its own in the bottom half.

Axelsen led off and after getting ahead into the count 3-0, he ripped the ball the other way, to deep right-center, and stopped at second with a stand-up double. Lowenstein fanned Simpson on a 1-2 off-speed pitch, but Piper walked on a 3-1 pitch, then Kyles watched four straight balls go by to load the bases. Lowenstein struck out Almy looking, then got Soule to line out to center on the first pitch to keep the score 1-0.

Gilbert led off the top of the fourth by grounding the ball down the third base line, where Axelsen made a nice backhanded stab. The throw to first was wide, but Kyles was able to tag Gilbert before he reached the bag for the first out. Mason then struck out swinging. Roux walked on a 3-2 count and Cheever followed with a first pitch single through the hole between third and short to put two runners on for Swift. Swift got ahead in the count 3-0 and got the green light, but he got under the ball and popped out foul to Axelsen to end it.

In the bottom half, Robeck fanned leading off, but Leding grounded the ball past Lowenstein for an infield single and with Soucie at the plate, Leding moved to second on a wild pitch. Soucie drew a four-pitch walk and Axelsen followed with a sharp ground ball toward the hole on the first pitch he saw, but Cheever made a terrific diving stop and threw to second for the force out. With Simpson at the plate, Axelsen was caught off first, Lowenstein ran at him, then threw to Cheever as Leding broke for the plate. Cheever then threw home for inning-ending out.

The Clippers got the leadoff hitter on in the top of the fifth, as Lowenstein battled back from a 1-2 count, barely holding up on a 2-2 pitch, then reaching on ball four, but Janczuk popped out to second on the first pitch he saw. Bradford nearly produced an extra base hit on a 1-0 pitch, but his sharp grounder down the third base line was barely foul, then he lined out hard to center. Gagnon, after Lowenstein stole second, drew a walk and Gilbert, after Greely unsuccessfully tried to catch Yarmouth napping with a fake pickoff throw, grounded to the hole, where Axelsen made the scoop and tagged Lowenstein running by to end it.

In the bottom half, Simpson walked on a 3-2 pitch leading off and Piper sacrificed him to second, but Lowenstein fanned Kyles on a 2-2 pitch, then Almy popped out foul to Cheever.

Senior Matt Gautreau came out to pinch-hit for Mason leading off the sixth, but Halsted opted to use senior Ben Damasco instead, meaning Gautreau couldn’t return. Almy then fanned Damasco swinging. Roux grounded out to second and Cheever flew out to center on the first pitch for the game’s first 1, 2, 3 inning.

Greely, again, had a chance to break it open in the bottom half, but again, couldn’t do so.

After Soule reached on an error at second, Piesik walked on a  3-2 pitch and Leding drew a walk as well, loading the bases and ending Lowenstein’s day.

Cheever came on in relief and got Soucie to hit the ball back to the mound, resulting in a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play. With runners at second and third, Axelsen was intentionally walked and Cheever finished the great escape, catching Simpson looking at strike three to send the game to the top of the seventh.

“I was confident, but also nervous,” Cheever said. “It was such a good feeling to get out of that. First pitch, double play. That was huge. I knew the boys would pick me up the seventh. Coach (Brian Robinson) came out and settled me down. He talked about Gibson Harnett (the hero of Yarmouth’s 2017 championship run) and his love for the game and his saying, ‘Time to compete.’ Coach put that on me and told me, ‘It’s time to compete. Gibby did it, now it’s your time to do it.’”

The Clippers then made the Rangers pay for not breaking the game open.

Swift led off, worked the count full, fouled off a couple pitches, nearly reached on a slow roller down the third base line, which Axelsen let go foul at the last minute, the Almy fired a high fastball past him for strike three looking.

“We left so many runners on base, but you stay positive and keep chopping wood,” Halsted said. “If you’re frustrated, you go into the dugout, get angry, clear the mechanism and go and cheer on your teammates. David Swift, on that called third strike went into the dugout, cleared the mechanism and cheered on his teammates 15 seconds later like the perfect teammate and leader he is. Those things matter. It matters he took it like a man and went out and was the consummate teammate.”

Lowenstein then grounded up the middle on a 2-2 pitch to keep hope alive.

“I was just trying to get on any way possible,” said Lowenstein. “I was staring down the fact it could be my last at-bat ever, so I was locked in, saw a curveball and hit it the other way.

Janczuk was next and he stayed alive when his pop foul behind the plate dropped harmlessly before taking ball four on a full count pitch.

Almy had reached the pitch count limit during Janczuk’s at-bat and he came out in favor of Soule, who caught Bradford looking at strike three to get Greely within an out of a trip to the state final.

A trip that didn’t come.

Gagnon fell behind in the count 0-2, got it to 2-2, then fulfilled his wildest dreams, lining a low Soule fastball deep to center. Leding raced back but couldn’t catch up the ball and by the time it landed, Lowenstein had scored easily and Janczuk was hot on his heels with the go-ahead run. With Halsted dropping the ground to show him the way, Gagnon dove into third with a game-changing, life-changing triple.

“We pushed to get that run across and when we finally did, it was exhilarating, a weight off our shoulders,” Gagnon said. “First two strikes, I was trying to hit the ball hard, but after that, I just had to put the bat on the ball and see what happens. I thought it was going to be caught. I didn’t think at first it went that far. I don’t remember the 30 seconds after I hit it. I swung, it pinged and I just sprinted around the bases. When I slid into third, I yelled out, ‘Let’s go!’ It was a great moment.

“I’ve never been in this position before. It feels good. I was definitely upset for my guy (Gautreau), but I knew I had to step up for us to have a chance to go deep in the playoffs. I embraced the role and worked hard day-in, day-out. I was thinking about my guys in the my dugout and how much they mean to me. These are my best friends and I just tried to come through for them.”

“I didn’t see much,” said Lowenstein. “I was sprinting as hard as I could to get home and tie the thing up. When I turned around, I saw the ball land and it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Alec Gagnon didn’t have the best day in the field, but he didn’t give up. He went up in the biggest spot of the season and came through. I think he’s just resilient. He comes to practice every day and grinds. He was ready for that spot.”

“It’s surreal, man,” Cheever said. “(Alec) came through at the end. He was big when we needed it. I love that kid so much. He works so hard. It’s such a good feeling he came out and did that for the team. Halsted talks constantly about right man, right time. We believed in him and that boosted him up. As soon as he swung at that pitch, he squared it up and it went. I sprinted out to the field and knew it was over (Leding’s) head and I just screamed, ‘Keep running baby!’ Nothing can describe it. Everybody was in shock.”

“You want your sons to play baseball because they’ll fail constantly,” added Halsted. “The game teaches you to never give up. You can get hit, but you have to keep moving forward. Nobody is Matt Gautreau. He might be the best defensive second baseman we’ve ever had in this program. He’s a game changer, so to look at Alec and say it’s your job, those are big shoes to fill, but he’s just so gritty. He’s a tough kid. He doesn’t run a 4.5 40 or have a cannon, he’s just a baseball player. I believe Alec believed he was going to hit a two-run triple over the centerfielder’s hit and that’s what you want. We had a silent steal going and our first base coach Dom Morrill picked it up without a sign. He relayed it to Jack, who was running on the pitch. He probably would have scored anyway, but it made it a lot easier with him running on the play. Smart kid, smart coach.”

“The difference between that being a fly out and a triple over Jackson Leding’s head is very small,” lamented longtime Greely coach Derek Soule.

Gilbert kept the inning alive with a walk before Damasco grounded toward the hole where Axelsen made one more highlight reel play, going to his left and scooping the ball before throwing to first for the final out.

Cheever then came out to close it out.

Piper hit the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh hard down the leftfield line, but freshman Iggy McGrath, inserted for defensive purposes, was right there to make the catch for the first out.

“Let’s have the first pop fly go to the 14-year-old leftfielder, Iggy McCrath,” Halsted said. “Of course.”

Kyles then swung at the first pitch as well, popping the ball behind short, but Swift went out and made the catch.

When Almy swung at the first pitch and grounded to second, it appeared the game would end, but Gagnon couldn’t field it cleanly and just like that, Greely had the tying run on. Senior Jerik Phillips came on to run, hoping to come home as the tying run, but it wasn’t to be, as Cheever induced Kyle Soule to ground to Gagnon as well and this time, Gagnon fielded the ball cleanly, then threw to Swift for the force out and at 5:38 p.m., after a taut 2 hour, 32 minute thriller, Yarmouth was able to celebrate its 2-1 victory.

“I owned up to the error, then I didn’t have time to think about it,” Gagnon sad. “That last out was a great moment.”

“(Alec) made the error, but I told him, ‘You’re going to get the next one,” Cheever said. “I said, ‘I’ll roll you one and you’ll stay on it and win the game for it, so lock in and let’s go.’ We were down against York, down against Wells, we’ve been behind a lot, but we’ve come from behind, so we knew what we do. We executed and good things happened.”

“It means so much to win this,” Lowenstein said. “Growing up in a town like Yarmouth, you learn you can never give up. We all wanted it so badly, so we went out and performed.”

“I yelled to Alec, ‘The ball’s coming to you’ and he made the play,” added Halsted. “I have this absurd tradition of I decide to sit and watch the celebration in Southern Maine championship games. I don’t join. When you watch young men you love unconditionally express joy like that, that’s why you coach and try to be a good mentor.”

The Clippers got two hits from Lowenstein, who also scored, as did Janczuk. Gagnon had two RBI.

Yarmouth somehow managed to prevail despite stranding a dozen base runners.

Lowenstein didn’t get a decision, going five-plus innings, giving up one unearned run on five hits. He walked six, fanned five and hit two batters, but battled throughout to keep his team close.

“I just had to dial in when there were runners on,” Lowenstein said. “I didn’t get ahead of as many batters as I wanted to, but I feel like I executed good pitches to get out of it.”

“There are so many kids who are the model of Yarmouth baseball,” Halsted said. “Sam Lowenstein is a talented kid, tougher than most, who cares about his teammates more than you can possibly comprehend. Much like a Gibson Harnett or a Liam Hickey (last year’s ace), he doesn’t want to let a teammate down.”

Cheever, who will play next year at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, got the win in relief with two hitless, scoreless innings. Cheever walked one and struck out a batter.

“I don’t trust anyone more in the world in a baseball game more than Cheever,” said Lowenstein. “The kid prepares so much. There’s a reason he’s going D1.”

“Andrew Cheever took a lot of abuse this year,” Halsted said. “He’s a marked man being a Division I kid. He kept his chin up, battled through the negativity. When it mattered most, he came through.”

Unfathomable

For Greely, Axelsen and Leding each had two hits and Soucie scored the lone run.

The Rangers left 12 runners on and on three occasions, loaded the bases (twice with no outs), but couldn’t score.

Almy was the hard-luck loser, going 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He walked six and struck out seven.

“Sam was amazing working out of jams,” Derek Soule said. “There were no easy innings, but unfortunately, he reached the (110) pitch count and had to come out.”

Kyle Soule pitched two-thirds of an inning of relief, giving up one hit and one walk while fanning one.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” said Derek Soule. “It wasn’t to be. We were that close. It’s probably right at the top of the list of toughest losses I’ve had. This team just worked so hard and it’s such a good group of kids. To be one strike away, it’s cruel. We had our opportunities. In my gut, I knew one (run) wouldn’t be enough. I tip my cap to them. They made three errors and gave us some baserunners, but they also made some huge plays.

“When the guys have time to reflect, they’ll realize what a tremendous season we did have. They have nothing to hang their heads about. I feel like we played the most consistent baseball of anyone in the league. Everyone picked Yarmouth and Cape at the beginning of the year, but we wound up conference champions and the top seed in the league. The three games we lost could have gone either way. We were just unlucky in a lot of ways.”

Graduation will take a heavy toll, as Greely has to part with Almy, Axelsen, Leding, Robeck, Simpson and five others who contributed indelibly to the program.

The Rangers have some terrific players coming back and could finish the job in 2025, but this loss will sting for awhile.

“We don’t only lose great players, but we lose great leaders, great personalities, great character guys,” Derek Soule said. “We have plenty coming back and we’ll be in the thick of things next year, but the seniors we lose can’t be replaced.”

A greater cause

Yarmouth’s baseball program has long been about much more the current team, as it also honors and remembers those who came before and one former standout, Harnett, is very much in the forefront of the Clippers’ conscious this spring after he passed away in January from clear-cell sarcoma, a rare, incurable cancer.

“These kids know who he is,” Halsted said. “He’s always on our minds for all the right reasons. He’s just the ultimate example of never stop moving forward in life. He’s always with us.”

Harnett pitched Yarmouth to the 2017 championship and the Clippers will channel their fallen hero when they take the field Saturday.

Yarmouth and Caribou have no playoff history. The Clippers are 4-1 all-time in state games, with the lone loss coming last year to Old Town (1-0).

Yarmouth has been awaiting its opportunity to avenge that setback and the time has finally arrived.

“We’re another year more experienced,” said Gagnon. “We were there last year, so we know what to expect. Our senior leadership is great. They’re all fantastic leaders.”

“We just need to have good practices and trust ourselves,” Lowenstein said. “We know we can win it down to the final strike, so I have faith in us.”

“It’s all about our mentality,” Cheever said. “The job’s not finished.”

“We have 11 seniors and I think they’ll be ready to roll,” Halsted added. “These kids expect to play for championships. That’s what they do in the fall and winter seasons.

“Saddle up, let’s go.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.

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