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BREWER – In Katie Mainville’s world, the harmless walk Bucksport’s Jana Richards drew – the one that came with two outs, and nobody on, in top of the first inning? That’s a threat.
The harmless error that her team made behind her in the fourth? Another threat.
In Mainville’s world, you see, that’s as close to an offensive uprising as a team has come all postseason long.
The crafty Erskine Academy junior overmatched Bucksport’s hitters for seven innings on Tuesday night, tossed her second no-hitter of the playoffs, and carried the top-seeded Eagles of South China to a 2-0 win over the No. 2 Golden Bucks at Coffin Field.
Mainville also fired a no-hitter against Mount Desert Island in the quarterfinals, but suffered through an “off” day in the semis: Belfast managed one hit against her.
“She’s a great pitcher. She kept us guessing all day long and we just couldn’t get the bat on the ball,” Bucksport coach Mike Carrier said. “In and out, up and down, she was doing a good job.”
Mainville struck out nine and walked just one while improving to 12-1.
The loss in an Eastern Maine final extended a frustrating skein in title matchups for Bucksport, which has lost in the Eastern Maine finals for six straight years.
The Bucks fell to Erskine 7-3 a year ago.
Erskine Academy (17-2), the defending state champions, will face Western Maine champion Gray-New Gloucester for the state title at noon on Saturday at St. Joseph’s College in Standish.
Bucksport finishes up 16-3.
The Eagles got the only run Mainville would need in the bottom of the first, as leadoff hitter Karla Emerson walked and scooted home on Mainville’s double to left.
They added an insurance run in the sixth when Alycia Pushard blasted a triple to center and scored on Linda Horak’s single. Pushard was the big offensive gun for the Eagles, as she also singled and doubled in the game.
“My coach just told me to put the ball in play, and that’s what I was concentrating on,” Pushard said.
Mainville set the tone early: She retired the first two batters of the game on just seven pitches – all strikes. Bucksport’s lone baserunners were Richards and Heather Pelletier.
Both reached base with two outs, and were stranded at first.
Mainville said her approach was pretty simple – as was her repertoire of pitches.
“I’m just throwing a fastball and hitting my spots, and a changeup,” Mainville said. “I tend to get a rise when I throw high and inside, and the batters have a difficult time with that.”
The Golden Bucks did, as several batters chased Mainville’s intermittent selection of high-and-tight offerings.
Mainville’s no-hitter overshadowed a strong effort by hard-throwing Bucksport junior Kelly White.
White allowed just six hits, striking out three and walking two. She, too, was impressed by Mainville.
“She did an excellent job,” White said. “She’s not quite as fast [as some pitchers], but she knows where to place the ball. She works the ball up, which caught us off-guard way too many times.”
White threw 58 strikes among her 75 pitches while Mainville tossed 58 strikes and 27 balls in her outing. The game lasted just an hour and five minutes.
Erskine coach Carl Gartley said that after flirting with no-hitters several times, they seem to have become contagious for his junior star.
“I think she got bit by that [no-hit] bug and likes it,” Gartley said with a laugh.
Eagles 2, Golden Bucks 0
Bucksport (16-3) Erskine Acad. (17-2)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R BI
Taylor, 2b 3 0 0 0 Emerson, cf 2 1 0
White, p 3 0 0 0 Mainville, p3 0 1
Richards, c 2 0 0 0 a-Johnson 0 0 0
Pelletier, ss 3 0 0 0 Pushard, 3b 3 0
Page, 1b 3 0 0 0 L. Horak, ss3 0 1
Caswell, cf 2 0 0 0 Tibbetts, dh2 0 0 0
Gordon, 3b 2 0 0 0 Gerrard, rf 0 0 0
Tweedie, rf 2 0 0 0 Angell, c 3 0 0
McAllian, lf 2 0 0 0 Thomas, 1b 3 0 0
St. Amand, 2b 2 0
Cloutier, lf 2 0
Totals 22 0 0 0 Totals 23 2 2
a-ran for Mainville in first
Bucksport 000 000 0 ? 0
Erskine Acad. 100 001 x ? 2
E?Horak; LOB?Bucksport 2, Erskine 5; 2B?Mainville, Pushard; 3B?Pushard; DP?Taylor-Page 2; SB?Horak
Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO
White (L,8-2) 6 6 2 2 2 3
Erskine Acad. IP H R ER BB SO
Mainville (W,12-1) 7 0 0 0 1 9
T?1:05; ATT?250 (est.)
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