RICHMOND

Ryan Gardner is one of those coaches that has seen it all.

The Richmond High School baseball leader, who will lead his Bobcats against Fort Fairfield in the State Class D Championship on Saturday at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor at 3 p.m., knew that his team needed something heading into Wednesday’s Class D South regional final against nemesis and top-seeded Searsport.

“We hit, hit, hit and hit some more over the past few days,” said Gardner after his team downed the Vikings, 14-6, at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, ending years of frustration against the three-time defending State Class D champions.

Last year, Richmond fell to Searsport, 6-2, in the regional final, and two years earlier, it was the Vikings again who ended the Bobcats’ campaign in a 13-3 rout.

“I think they had beaten us three straight times,” said Gardner, who felt his team’s strong start, a five-run first inning, allowed them to get the big win. “If we were able to shake their cage, that would work. You could tell that they were knocked back a little bit in that first inning.”

Searsport refused to quit, closing to 9-6 in the fifth inning. But it was a big play by catcher Trystin Shea that turned the tide back to Richmond, as Shea threw out a Viking runner who had made a big turn at second base. The Bobcats rolled from there, adding five more runs to their total.

According to Gardner, Shea has matured into a solid catcher, handling the big arm of ace Zach Small, along with Wednesday’s winner Matt Rines, who commanded the low part of the strike zone.

“He has been rock solid all year long,” said Gardner of Shea. “His decisionmaking is better this year. That pickoff on Wednesday was a big play. He has learned when to throw, and maybe more importantly, when not to throw. And he has done an excellent job handling the pitching staff and blocking pitches to save extra bases.”

Forced hand

Because Small had pitched in Richmond’s semifinal win over Greenville last Friday, he was ineligible to pitch on Wednesday. This forced Rines into action, and the senior delivered.

“He changed his speeds and kept them off-balance with his curveball,” said Gardner. “Even though we played last Friday, the Maine Principals’ Association counts the rest day from the date the game is supposed to be played. So, they counted it from last Saturday, so I was unable to use Zach against Searsport.”

Because of this, Small will start against Fort Fairfield, Gardner said, giving him his ace. The Tigers threw their ace hurler in Wednesday’s 4-3 Class D North regional final win over Bangor Christian, so the Bobcats will likely see Fort Fairfield’s No. 2 in Bangor.

“ Everybody likes to have their ace heading into the state game,” said Gardner, who described Small. “He is hyper-competitive, challenges himself throughout his time on the mound. He has confidence behind him, but he puts a lot on himself.”

Gardner has received contributions throughout his batting order. Against Searsport , No. 9 hitter Dakotah Gilpatric had three hits, giving Richmond solid balance throughout the lineup, along with Nate Kendrick, Andrew Vachon and several others.

“If we can continue to put the ball in play, then we can mess with the other team’s pitcher and put pressure on the bases,” Gardner said.

Saturday will be the first State D championship game for Richmond since winning it all back in 2010. The Bobcats have certainly seen success since then, compiling a 64-12 regular-season record over the past five seasons, only to have postseason disappointment derail their hopes. In 2014, Richmond fell to Wiscasset in the D South semifinals, and in 2016 lost to East-West Conference rival Valley in the semis.

As far as finally beating Searsport , Gardner said, “ We have waited a long time for the ball to bounce our way.”

The Tigers

Gardner admitted that he knows little about Fort Fairfield, which finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed in D North after a 12-2 regular season.

The Tigers lost back-toback contests in early May, falling to Fort Kent (15-5) and Central Aroostook (6-3). Since then, Fort Fairfield has reeled off 13 straight wins, including avenging those losses.

In the postseason, the Tigers found success in close games, capturing three straight victories by the slimmest of margins.

In the quarterfinals, the top-seed held off No. 9 Stearns, 4- 3, then dispatched fifth-seeded Katahdin, 6-5, in the semifinals before holding off No. 2 Bangor Christian in the regional final.

“They hit the ball hard, and they won a lot of close games this year, which says something,” said Gardner.

In other state final baseball action on Saturday, Wells and Brewer open play in Bangor at 11 a.m. for the B title. At Saint Joseph’s College, Bangor, looking for its fifth straight State Class A title, meets Gorham at 1 p.m., followed at 4:30 p.m. by the Class C title game between Hall-Dale and Houlton.

In softball play Saturday in Standish, undefeated Madison meets Narraguagus in the C title game at 12: 30 p. m., followed at 4 p. m. by the A championship between Scarborough and Oxford Hills.

At Brewer High School Saturday, Greenville meets defending State Class D champion Penobscot Valley at noon. At 4 p. m., Greely and Brewer face off for the B title.