BUCKSPORT – Jana Wardwell received the childhood nickname of “Bomber” from her father, who joked that his usually mild-mannered daughter went off like a bomb on those few occasions when she got upset.

The nickname stuck, not because the behavior lingered, but for the kind of power Wardwell showed in leading the Bucksport Golden Bucks to a seventh-inning rally and 9-8 victory over the Houlton Shiretowners in an Eastern Maine Class B softball semifinal Saturday.

“We call her Bomber because she hits the ball so darn hard,” Bucksport coach Mike Carrier said.

Wardwell recorded her clutch performance on newly christened Wardwell Field, which was named in honor of her father, John Wardwell, before the game for the construction work he donated to the field and his longtime support of Bucksport athletics.

The second-ranked Bucks, now 17-1, earned their third straight playoff win over the Shires and advanced to Tuesday’s 7 p.m. championship game against No. 1 Winslow at Coffin Field in Brewer. Third-seeded Houlton finished at 15-2.

With Houlton leading 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh, Bucksport’s Kelly Downes led off with line-drive double to center and Sadie Alley came on to pinch-run.

Wardwell, who had already tripled in the fifth, then blasted a 1-1 pitch 240 feet away, hitting the bottom of the fence in left. Alley easily scored and Wardwell raced around third and collided with Houlton pitcher Erica Hiscoe, who was backing up third base. Hiscoe was called for interference and Wardwell crossed the plate with the winning run.

Carrier said he didn’t hesitate to send Wardwell even though there was just one out.

“Jana is very quick and fast for a big girl. The relay throw coming in to home wasn’t on line. It’s too bad the interference happened. I thought it would have been billed as a home run,” Carrier said.

Wardwell said a Bucksport victory was the only thing on her mind when she rounded third.

“I saw coach giving me the go sign. I just wanted to win the game and I kept going hard,” she said.

Wardwell was pleased to have the opportunity to perform in the clutch for the Bucks.

“I knew what I had to do. Thank God it all worked out,” she said.

Houlton coach Dave Sewell didn’t complain about the play whiteam.

“[Hiscoe] was backing up the play all the way. It’s the game of softball. Those plays are going to happen,” he said.

The rally capped a hard-hitting game despite the efforts of two of the better pitchers in Eastern Maine: Houlton’s Hiscoe and Bucksport’s Downes.

Hiscoe, who finished at 15-2, was reached for 14 hits and Downes, now 13-1, gave up 11, but was plagued by four errors and four unearned runs. She got herself and the Bucks out of trouble by striking out 11.

The Shiretowners put together back-to-back, three-run innings in the fourth and fifth to take an 8-5 lead.

Autumn Gentle provided the key hit in the fourth with a two-run single to right and Darcy Howe responded in the fifth with a two-run single to center.

The Bucks answered in fifth with two runs to cut Houlton’s lead to 8-7. Wardwell laced a two-out triple to center and scored when Jamie Gilman grounded a double down the third-base line. Gilman then raced home when Katie Pelletier blooped a single to left.

Bucks 9, Shiretowners 8

Houlton (15-2) Bucksport (17-1)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Skehan, lf 4 1 1 0 Annis, ss 4 1 1 0

Gentle, ss 4 1 2 2 Smith, c 4 1 2 0

Bissonette, 3b 3 0 0 0 Sawyer, 2b 4 1 2 2

Wilson, 3b 1 0 0 0 Downes, p 4 0 3 1

Berry, c 4 0 2 1 c-Alley 0 1 0 0

a-Drake 0 1 0 0 K.Wardwell, lf 4 0 0 0

Bell, 1b 4 1 1 0 J.Wardwell, 1b 4 2 2 1

Goodall, rf 4 0 1 0 Gilman, 3b 3 1 1 1

Jackett, cf 0 0 0 0 Pelletier, rf 3 1 2 1

Watson, dh 2 1 0 0 Henderson, cf 3 1 1 1

Howe, 2b 4 2 3 2

Hiscoe, p 2 1 1 0

b-McGary 1 0 0 0

Totals 33 8 11 5 Totals 33 9 14 7

a-ran for Berry in fifth

b-struck out for Hiscoe in seventh

c-ran for Downes in seventh

Houlton 101 330 0 – 8

Bucksport 103 120 2 – 9

E – Bissonette, Berry, Hiscoe; Sawyer, Pelletier, Henderson 2 2B – Skehan; Sawyer, Gilman 3B – Sawyer, J. Wardwell 2, Pelletier LOB – Houlton 7, Bucksport 5 DP – Downes-Sawyer SB – Hiscoe; Smith

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Houlton

Hiscoe (L,15-2) 7 14 9 7 0 5

Bucksport

Downes (W,13-1) 7 11 8 4 2 11

HBP – Watson by Downes WP – Downes 2 TIME – 1:45 ATTENDANCE – 175