Rebar’s one-hitter helps Ponies remain undefeated

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Foxcroft Academy came out with a victory in a matchup featuring two of the top teams in the Class B East Heal Point standings on May 4, as senior Ryan Rebar tossed a one-hitter and he and the rest of the Pony defense allowed just four baserunners in seven innings during a 7-1 win over Mount Desert Island High School. Foxcroft moved to 8-0 with the win, and jumped from third to first place in the Heal Point standings.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    DOWN AND DIRTY — Foxcroft Academy senior Ryan Rebar is nearly tagged by MDI sophomore Tom Paola before the third baseman loses the baseball and Rebar slides safely into the bag during the home half of the first inning of a May 4 game in Dover-Foxcroft. Rebar tossed a one-hitter to help the Ponies improve to 8-0 with a 7-1 victory over the Trojans.

    MDI, who entered the contest ranked second but fell to 6-2 with the defeat, got a baserunner to third base in the opening inning after reaching on error. But with two outs Foxcroft senior Caleb Richard snagged a line drive out of the air to strand the runner.
    Rebar would go on to have three perfect innings before the fifth — in which he surrendered his only walk, hit and run of the game — but at this point the Pony offense had already put five runs on the scoreboard which ended up being more than enough.
    Richard led off the home half of the first inning with a single into left field, and Rebar following by sending a pitch from Trojan senior Ben Walls into rightfield. A bad throw enabled Richard and Rebar to get to third and second bases respectively. 

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    EASY OUT, EASY INNING — Senior Caleb Richard gets ready to catch the ball for the out to end the top second, one of three consecutive innings in which all nine combined MDI hitters were retired.

    Two batters later senior Cameron Fadley hit the ball to MDI sophomore Tom Paola at third, but he was not able to corral the hit as Richard sprinted home for the first run of the game.
    Two innings later Foxcroft broke the game open with four runs. MDI nearly escaped the inning down by just one run, but with two outs senior Jesse Provost hit the ball nearly to the fence in right field. The ball did land in play, but junior Hunter Law scored easily from third on Provost’s RBI double.
    Senior Kaleb Smith followed by taking first on a walk, and senior Forrest Law made Walls and MDI pay for the for four pitches out of the strike zone by finding a gap in left centerfield. Provost and Smith both scored as the Ponies led 4-0. Law also got to come home as senior Luke Olson doubled to right centerfield for the fourth Foxcroft run of the inning and a 5-0 advantage.
    An RBI by MDI junior Stephen Hanscome with one out in the fifth broke up Rebar’s bid for a no-hitter, as Hanscome drove in sophomore pinch runner Jack Sasner from third on a single to centerfield. Rebar then struck out the next two batters for two of his game-high six strikeouts.
    After a 1,2,3 inning for MDI in the bottom of the fifth, MDI did manage to get another baserunner on  following a Pony error. Richard then caught a fly ball near second base for the out and he fired the ball over to Smith at first ahead of the runner to complete the double play. A fly ball out to Provost in rightfield resulted in another zero on the scoreboard for the Trojans.
    Foxcroft scored two more runs in the sixth to put MDI a half dozen behind. Forrest Law touched home plate for the second time in the game on an RBI groundout by sophomore Brooks Law, which enabled Olson to get to third base. Richard followed by laying down a bunt away from the plate as Olson sprinted home. MDI’s only play was the out at first as Olson scored on the well-executed sacrifice.
    MDI and Foxcroft are scheduled to play again on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. in Bar Harbor in what is slated to be the Ponies’ next to last regular season game of 2013.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    JUST TWO AWAY — Recording the first out of the seventh inning is Foxcroft senior Cameron Fadley in centerfield. Two more outs gave the Ponies a 7-1 victory against MDI, who entered the May 4 game in second place in the Class B East Heal Point standings or one position in front of the Ponies who moved into first with a record of 8-0.