WELLS

As heads rise from pillows Tuesday morning, about two dozen teenage boys will rub their eyes, shake off cobwebs and wonder if that really happened.

In Wells, it will seem like a dream; in Freeport, a nightmare.

On a chilly Monday afternoon, Wells staged an improbable rally in its final turn at bat, scoring five unearned runs with two outs to beat Freeport, 5-4, in a Western Maine Conference high school baseball game.

Both teams are 3-1.

Except for one hiccup — a two-out error in the second that required junior pitcher Shea Wagner to face two more batters — the Falcons seemed in complete control through six innings. They scored in each of the first three innings and threatened in each of the remaining four, ultimately stranding 12 runners, including four at third base.

“Other than that (harmless error), we flashed a lot of leather,” Freeport Coach Bill Bridge said. “We had looked good, we had good energy and at the plate I thought we had a great approach against (Wells junior pitcher Tyler) Bridge, who is solid.”

Needing only three more outs to finish off an impressive three-hit shutout, Wagner returned to the mound to face the bottom half of the Wells order. Sophomore Nate Chandler beat out a slow roller to third. Wagner recorded his sixth strikeout, then induced a comebacker that might have ended the game on a double play.

Instead, Wagner’s attempt at the force drew shortstop Jack Sawicki off second base and both runners were safe.

No big deal. Wagner fanned another for the second out. Pinch-hitter Jonah Killiam came off the bench for his varsity debut, and immediately got plunked in the side and let out a roar as he ran to first to load the bases.

“That really got us into it,” said Wells senior Cameren Cousins, “seeing the emotion that he was putting into that.”

“He was pumped,” Bridge added.

Leadoff batter Liam Bell — whose first-inning drive disappeared into the glove of completely horizontal right fielder Gabe Wagner following a full sprint to set an unyielding tone for Freeport — followed with a sharp grounder that might have resulted in another double play, but instead wound up as the inning’s second error and allowed two runs to score.

Yet another dribbler, this one to Sawicki at short, loaded the bases once more, still with two outs.

Cousins seemingly made the final out, on a grounder to third, but the throw sailed high, knotting the score at 4 and bringing Bridge to the plate.

He popped up behind first base.

“When it left my bat, I was frustrated,” Bridge said. “I thought it was going to be an out. Then I saw where it was heading, and everyone running to it, and I was like, ‘That might land.’”

Gabe Wagner made another diving attempt but this one fell just short. Bridge, who had given up eight hits in five innings on the mound, had himself a walkoff bloop single.

Reliever Gary Andrews, who worked out of trouble in the sixth and seventh, got the victory.

“We had a lot of opportunities in that last inning to finish it,” Bridge said. “We can do better.”

Seven of Freeport’s nine hits were line drives to the outfield. The same could be said of only one of the six Wells hits.

“You never know,” Wells coach Todd Day said. “You’ve got to compete and stay involved in the game, and I’m happy for the kids that they did that.”

Freeport visits Greely on Wednesday at 4 p.m.