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BY GARY HAWKINS
Staff Writer 05/22/2008

Staff Writer

An anticipated matchup of pitching aces never took place Tuesday when Richmond traveled to Rangeley.

When the teams played three weeks ago in Richmond, Rangeley's Luke Hammond outdueled Jason Brown 2-0 in a classic matchup in which Hammond fanned 12 and Brown struck out 10. Rangeley later forfeited that game for using an ineligible player.

Neither pitcher was available Tuesday as Richmond won 9-6 to run its record to 10-1. It wasn't Hammond's turn to pitch and Brown is nursing a sore elbow. The Bobcats did, however, beat Rangeley's Ben Bliss, the same pitcher who knocked them out of the Western Class D regional finals last June. Sophomore Nick Woods pitched for Richmond.

"Nick throws strikes," Richmond coach Ryan Gardner said. "And we've been playing pretty good defense."

Brown is still at shortstop while he's not pitching and said it hasn't hurt that much.

"It's worked out pretty well for us," said Gardner, who also pitches senior Sam Carter and sophomore Mike King.

The Bobcats put the toughest part of their schedule, as least from a mileage standpoint, behind them. It included long bus rides to Bingham, Jackman and Rangeley.

For a doubleheader against Forest Hills last Saturday in Jackman, they left Richmond at 5:30 a.m. and returned at 6:30 p.m.

"I've got an awful sore backside," Gardner joked.

The Bobcats have one long road trip left, June 2 to Greenville, and they host a tough opponent June 6 in Class C Old Orchard. They should still finish atop the Western Class D tournament standings, given their wins against Rangeley.

• • •

Kents Hill made its last game on its old baseball field a memorable one by beating Hebron Academy 13-4 last Saturday for the Maine Association of Independent Schools Athletic Directors (MAISAD) championship.

Because of early postponements, the Huskies played only 10 games, finishing at 6-4. Next year, they'll move on to their new all-turf field on the other side of campus.

"It's two and a half fields together," baseball coach and athletic director Jim Smucker said.

In the spring, the complex will be used for baseball, softball and boys and girls lacrosse. In the fall, it will encompass soccer, football and field hockey. The old field will be used for practice only.

Standouts on the team this spring included pitcher Pat McAleer of Bangor, catcher Max Newton of Readfield, shortstop Peter Feicht and sophomore second baseman Ryan Dorso of Farmingdale.

• • •

Winthrop's Tavis Hasenfus saw little playing time in his recently-completed sophomore year at the University of Maine. The outfielder appeared in 15 games and had just one hit in 12 at-bats.

"Last year I got a lot of chances," said Hasenfus, who played 32 games with 63 at-bats as a freshman. "I expected a few more chances this year."

Hasenfus admitted there are good players in front of him but felt overlooked. He spoke about it with Maine coach Steve Trimper at the end of the season.

"He said he'd like to have me back and fight for a spot in the outfield," Hasenfus said.

Trimper also told Hasenfus he had permission to talk with other schools. A standout football player in high school, Hasenfus is exploring the possibility of playing two sports at a smaller school.

"Right now, I'll be going back to Maine," he said. "I just kind of want to look around to see if there's a better fit somewhere."

Hasenfus said he'll play in the Portland Twilight League this summer and try to rediscover his passion for baseball.

"The biggest thing is it just wasn't really fun this past year," he said.

• • •

Cony coach Ray Vallee has more pitchers than he has games in which to use them. To that end, he's scheduled exhibitions games with Maranacook and Oak Hill, as well as contests prior to the playoffs with Deering, Thornton and Westbrook.

"Charlie Partridge hadn't thrown a pitch," said Vallee, who used the lanky sophomore against Maranacook. "He pitched well against Maranacook."

Jake Lachance, Ray Cotnoir and Garrett Lucas have all seen limited action on the mound in the regular season because the starting pitching has been so strong. "We've got all these kids who can pitch," Vallee said.

The Rams could gain an extra game if they qualify for the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championship game which pits the top team in the South against the top team in the North based on Heal points. In the latest standings, this would have put Cony against Skowhegan. The game will be played June 6 at the higher seeded school.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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