GORHAM – When he connected for a grand slam in Tuesday’s 17-5 win over Gorham, Bonny Eagle’s Evan Amell said he didn’t think he had hit hard enough to get it out of the park.

“I didn’t think it was gone. It was a very low pitch, and I just felt like I had to golf it.”

If that was Amell’s golf swing, the PGA Tour may be in trouble.

Amell stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the second inning with the bases loaded, and Bonny Eagle (3-8) already up 4-0 over Gorham (3-8). On the mound was Gorham reliever Justin Roy, who had entered the game after starter Alex Yankowsky – having already given up two runs in the top of the first – walked three men to load the bases in the second, then hit Bradley Myers to make it 3-0. Roy then walked in the Scots’ fourth run, and then faced Amell. The lanky junior worked a 2-2 count before crushing a low pitch to deep left, where it just cleared the corner fence. Amell – his face a mixture of bemusement and disbelief – rounded the bases and met his team at home plate.

“I just felt like it was a pop up, maybe to the fence at the farthest,” Amell said. “I certainly didn’t think it was a grand slam. That was the first one I have ever hit, and it felt really good.”

“He just hit it really hard,” added Bonny Eagle Head Coach Marc Sawyer. “Here’s the thing about Evan, he started the year on the JV team. There was an injury, and we put Evan in, and he got two hits in his first game. We went to play Westbrook and he got probably the only two hits we had against Scotty Heath, who is pretty much the best pitcher around. So I said we had to keep him in the lineup, and he’s just continued to do that – get a couple hits a game.”

But, as it turned out, even an 8-0 lead for the Scots wasn’t safe. The Rams battled back against Bonny Eagle starting pitcher Matt Wheeler for four of their own in the bottom half of the second, highlighted by a two-run double by Damon Wallace that made it 8-4.

Gorham cut the margin even further in the bottom of the fourth, when Bonny Eagle reliever Matt Burnell walked in a run. It wound up being the only run Burnell surrendered, as the Scots buckled down and prevented a bigger inning. Wallace lined a ball to deep left field where Nate Peasley made a superb over-the-shoulder grab to save a run, and Burnell struck out the next man he faced. It was an important stop because, after giving up the home run, Roy allowed no more Bonny Eagle scoring.

“Justin did a great job keeping us in the game, and our kids responded offensively,” said Gorham Head Coach Chuck Nadeau. “We came back and closed it to 8-5. So I actually felt pretty confident going into the sixth that we had a shot to come all the way back and finish it. But they came out and had a good offensive inning, and we tried to change pitchers and change momentum, but Justin got hurt.”

Bonny Eagle caught a break in the top of the sixth, when Roy felt something pop in his throwing arm and was replaced by reliever Mark Ridgeway, who entered the game without having warmed.

“He has been great for us all year,” Nadeau said. “It was just one of those outings where Bonny Eagle did a good job putting together some hits, and they took advantage of some walks.”

Ridgeway walked Burnell to lead off, and he promptly stole second and then came home on a single by sophomore Andrew Martel.

Ridgeway gave up four hits and a hit batsman to five of the next six hitters he faced. And he received no help in the field, either, where the Rams committed two errors in the inning, both of which allowed runs to come in. By the time the time Ridgeway was replaced by Spencer LaPierre, the Scots had batted around and put seven runs on the board. LaPierre gave up two more for a 17-5 total, as 13 men came to the plate for Bonny Eagle in the sixth.

“We haven’t seen anything like inning that (all year),” Sawyer said. “And it’s just a testament to my guys getting in the cage every day. They get really excited going in and competing even against each other. So that was a testament to their hard work.”

The victory marks the beginning of a brutal stretch for Bonny Eagle, who will play four more games before the week is out. According to Amell, however, after this start, the team is ready for it.

“It’s going to be very hard,” he said. “Five games in one week is very tiring. But I feel like our team can definitely overcome it.”

Bonny Eagle junior third baseman Evan Amell smashes the first grand slam of his career over the left field fence at Gorham on Tuesday. All told, Amell finished with five RBIs in the Scots’ 17-5 victory over the Rams. (Staff photo by Emory Rounds)