Bessey Motors’ Blake Slicer dives back to first base under the tag of Coastal Athletics’ Tim Greenlaw on a pickoff attempt during their American Legion baseball state tourney at the Winkin Complex on the campus of Husson University on Wednesday.
BANGOR — Sometimes, knowing how to win is as important as having the talent to do so.
Bessey Motors has had its share of fantastic finishes this season, but Wednesday’s was its biggest to date. Trailing by three in the bottom of the ninth inning, Bessey plated a pair of runs to pull within one. With runners at the corners, Troy Johnson stepped to the plate.
“When Cameron (Slicer) came home, he looked at me and said, ‘Take a deep breath,” Johnson said. “I think that actually helped. I took a deep breath and I knew the kid was just throwing fastballs… I knew if I made contact that it would go somewhere.”
Johnson made contact and drove the ball into the left field corner, scoring both runners and winning the game for Bessey.
“I think the thing we do the best as a team is grind,” Johnson said. “I knew we would not give up, we are a hard team to beat I think.”
Manager Shane Slicer was proud of his team’s resolve, not just Wednesday, but the whole season.
“They just grind out victories,” Slicer said. “They’re young and they never believe they’re gonna get beat. Even at the end, they were positive, they were ready to go.
“They know how to win,” he said, “and you can’t teach that.”
The win advances Bessey in the winner’s bracjket of the eight-team double-elimination tourney at the Winkin Complex at Husson University. Bessey will face Coffee News of Bangor on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Coastal and Bessey started the game out in a pitcher’s duel Wednesday. Coastal starter James Sinclair gave up one hit in the first inning to Cameron Slicer to lead off, but settled down and didn’t let another hit in until the sixth inning.
Coastal’s bats were stagnant as well, not earning a hit until the fourth inning, when Kolby Lambert hit a double to right-center. An error by the third baseman moved Lambert to third, followed by a Dylan Francoeur sac-fly, scoring Lambert for the first run of the game. Coastal followed up in the fifth with Jack Lynch who reached on a Blake Slicer error. Justin Copetta moved Lynch around the bases with a single and another error. A Logan McCarthy sacrifice fly scored Lynch, doubling Coastal’s lead to two.
Meanwhile, Bessey could not get its offense to click.
“I think they were just a little tentative,” Slicer said. “We were facing a great pitcher. Blake pitched and battled his way through the game to get us out of trouble and we had some key doubles plays.”
Lynch led off the inning again in the seventh and reached on a single. A Coppeta sacrifice bunt moved Lynch to second, who then scored when a pickoff move to first occupied the fielders, allowing Lynch to score Coastal’s last run of the game.
In the bottom of the ninth, it was Bessey’s turn to wake the bats up.
“The key message was, we have a nine-inning game, we are gonna grind this out,” Shane Slicer said. “At the end I told them we are gonna need three base runners to win the game.”
To lead off the ninth, Bessey put in a pinch-hitter in Connor Truman, who led off with a walk. Slicer followed with a single, followed by a Hunter LaBossiere single to load the bases. After a strikeout, Ashton Kennison walked to score a run.
A fielder’s choice scored Cameron Slicer to make it 3-2, leaving runners on the corners to set the stage for Johnson.
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