DOVER-FOXCROFT – Foxcroft Academy’s Brooke Hartford wasn’t having the game of her life, in Tuesday’s Eastern Maine Class B preliminary matchup against No. 9 Rockland. She struck out, walked and popped up twice in the first seven innings.

So understandably, the Foxcroft junior was a little nervous when she stepped up to the plate with a runner on third and two outs in the eighth inning of a tied high school softball game.

But Hartford dug in, did her trademark waddle-and-shake, and smacked a ball past Rockland shortstop Samantha Pease to drive in pinch runner Nicole Stevens for a 7-6 Foxcroft victory.

“This is my worst game,” Hartford said. “I was just hoping to make contact. When I hit it I just thought, `Yes!’ ”

Foxcroft Academy will face No. 1 Bucksport in the Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinals Thursday. The Golden Bucks have beaten Foxcroft twice this season.

Foxcroft pitcher Shauna Gentry – who has been solid for the Ponies this season with a 7-4 record and has notched six wins in eight games for the Ponies – also had a less-than-average outing.

Gentry has walked about two batters per game this season but allowed 10 walks in five innings, along with five wild pitches and hit Rockland’s Jamie Wiggin with a pitch in the fourth.

“It’s very uncharateristic for her,” Foxcroft coach Brad Ashley said. “If Shauna can get her rhythm down she can be dominating. She’s a big part of the reason we’re 11-6.”

Christy Scott relieved Gentry in the sixth and earned the win for a 4-2 record. After Lauren Darby reached on an error in the sixth and scored on a single by Rachel Ervin, Scott and the Foxcroft defense retired the last seven Rockland batters.

Foxcroft’s Ashley Dow tied the game in the third inning when she smacked a ball into left field and got all the way around the bases on two Rockland errors.

Sherrie Zimmerman powered Foxcroft in the third inning with a double to drive in Laurie Lavoie and Hartford.

Ervin was the losing pitcher despite a seven-strikeout, three-walk afternoon.

“I thought we might have been a little overconfident and that changed when we saw game,” Ashley said. “This girl is tough. She had three good speeds, good composure. She put us on our heels early.”

Ervin’s sixth-inning single drove in Darcy Shepard and Darby. In the second inning, Darby doubled into left-center to bring in Keely Baum and Maria Cucinello scored on a wild pitch.

“It’s just one of those things,” Rockland coach Ed Mazurek said. “We made a couple of really costly errors. Both teams played well. Rachel had them hitting fly balls and popups.”

Foxcroft will be looking for an upset against Bucksport.

“We know it’s hard to beat a team three times in a year,” Hartford said. “It should be a pretty good game.”

Ponies 7, Tigers 6

Rockland girls (7-10) Foxcroft Academy (11-6)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Shepard, 3b 2 1 0 0 Lavoie, ss 4 1 1 0

Darby, c 4 1 2 1 Hartford, lf 4 1 2 1

Fournier, lf 3 0 0 0 Warren, c 4 1 2 0

Ervin, p 4 0 1 2 Dow, 1b 4 1 1 0

K. Wiggin, rf 2 0 0 0 Zimmerman, cf 4 1 2 2

Cucinello, cf 1 2 0 0 Fagan, 2b 3 1 0 0

Baum, 2b 4 1 1 0 Ca. Scott, 3b 2 0 0 0

Pease, ss 2 0 0 0 a-Stevens 0 1 0 0

J. Wiggin, 1b 3 1 0 0 Smith, rf 2 0 0 0

Gentry, p 0 0 0 0

Stinson, dh 3 0 0 0

Ch. Scott, p 0 0 0 0

Totals 25 6 4 3 Totals 30 7 8 3

a-scored for Ca. Scott in eighth

Rockland 030 012 00 – 6

Foxcroft Academy 014 000 11 – 7

E – Baum 3, Shepard, Pease, J. Wiggin; Lavoie, Hartfor Fagan 2B – Darby; Zimmerman LOB – Rockland 9, Foxcroft 5 DP – K. Wiggin-J. Wiggin SB – Wiggin; J. Warren, Fagan, Smith S – Fagan

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Rockland

Ervin (L, 7-10) 7 8 7 4 3 7

Foxcroft

Gentry 5 3 5 5 10 2

Ch. Scott (W, 4-2) 3 1 1 0 1 3

HBP – J. Wiggin; Ch. Scott WP – Gentry 5, Scott PB – Darby 2; Warren TIME – 2:05 ATTENDANCE – 88