SANFORD — When Scott Heath walked off the diamond at Goodall Park on April 30 after his Westbrook Blue Blazes had crushed Sanford 14-0 in an SMAA baseball game, a game in which Heath drove in three runs, he probably never have imagined he’d ever step onto the field again.

But last Thursday, Heath, now a rising junior at UMaine, did just that after coming over to the Mainers from the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League.

Heath, a pitcher/hitter for the Black Bears, had seen limited time for the Anglers, throwing just two innings before being released from his temporary contract. That’s when Sanford swooped in, signing the local standout last Tuesday, a win-win for both sides.

“It was just like go to the Cape as long as you can, and once I was released, come here,” Heath said. “It was set up pretty well so I didn’t have any problems finding another team.

“It’s a very good league, and (Sanford) is pretty close to home. It’s a great group of guys, and the coaches are great. It’s just a lot of fun playing here.”

After getting six at bats in his first three games in a Sanford uniform, Heath made his first appearance on the mound Sunday in Plymouth, Mass. giving up three runs in 4.1 innings to help the Mainers past the Pilgrims 6-5.

“It went well,” Heath said. “I hadn’t pitched in a while and was just throwing a lot of bullpens and stuff, but I was able to locate my fastball pretty well and was able to work on throwing from the stretch.”

Heath said his main goal for the rest of the summer is to get in as much game action as he possibly can, especially from the mound after throwing just 6.1 innings in Orono this past spring.

Specifically, Heath said he’d be working on his mechanics, “staying back behind the ball and throwing more strikes.”

“I’m definitely looking to get more innings on the mound,” he said. “If I can get some starts under my belt, I feel like I’ll be a lot better off next spring.”

Bullpen coming up big

Mainers’ starters have gotten into the sixth inning in just five of 16 games for far, and not since Conor Krauss did it against Vermont on June 16, but the bullpen has been there to more than pick up the slack.

Seven of Sanford’s relievers sport a 2.45 ERA or lower, led by Steven Rice, who currently wears a 1.00 in nine innings of work and is third in the NECBL in wins with three of the Mainers’ eight so far.

In total, batters are hitting just .147 off Rice, a rising senior at Vanderbilt, who also leads the team with a strikeouts per nine innings rate of 15.

Iannick Remillard has also been impressive out of the Sanford pen, allowing just one earned run in six innings of work and picking up two of the teams’ three saves, while Charlie Butler has allowed one run in five innings and Michael Gomez just two in 8.2 innings.

Mainers’ busy rest of the way

The weather hasn’t been kind to New England baseball fans so far this summer, and as a result, Sanford’s schedule will be jam-packed the rest of the way. After days off Wednesday and Thursday for the Independence Day holiday, the Mainers will play 27 games in 29 days before their regular season slate ends on Aug. 2.

That includes a doubleheader against Plymouth, Mass. on July 8, as well as home makeup dates against Newport, R.I. on July 15 and Saratoga, N.Y. on July 19. Sixteen of those 27 games will be on the road, with Sanford’s only scheduled off days being July 14 and July 21-22 for the All-Star game in Laconia, N.H.

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 323.