BANGOR – Just seven days ago, Steven Whitney was an unknown freshman pitcher with only six varsity innings to his credit and no decisions.

What a difference a week makes.

Whitney came of age Wednesday night as he notched his second win in six days – this time in a superlative starting role – and led Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln to its first regional baseball championship in a decade.

The freshman hurler seemed unflappable as he threw a five-hitter to lead the Lynx to a come-from-behind 4-3 win over top-seeded George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill in the Eastern Maine Class C title game at Mansfield Stadium.

The win gives 15-4 MA its first regional baseball title since winning the East B crown in 1991. The third-seeded Lynx, who had to replace seven graduated seniors from last season’s semifinal team, will meet unbeaten Hall-Dale for the state championship here Saturday at 11 a.m. The Eagles, who replaced eight starters, finish 17-2.

Despite having no command of his usually reliable curveball, Whitney gutted out a 124-pitch outing. He turned to his fastball and threw 70 pitches for strikes while surviving three jams, striking out seven batters, and walking three.

“We were just so psyched up, I couldn’t even feel my arm. I threw 100 pitches and it doesn’t hurt at all,” said Whitney, who notched his first win with a four-hit relief effort last week’s quarterfinal.

The Eagles jumped on Whitney with two runs in the first off a leadoff double by Travis Bannister, a Mark Clapp walk, Simeon Allen’s RBI single, and Jake Lowell’s sacrifice fly. The damage could have been worse, but Whitney got the third out with a flyout to right with a runner at third.

The Lynx scratched back for a run in the third after J.J. Murchison (2-for-3, double, single) led off with a single. A stolen base followed by a throwing error sent him to third before Andrew Kites’ sacrifice fly scored him.

Mattanawcook’s big inning was the fifth. After Whitney led off with a single, he scored all the way from first after Nate Cousineau’s sacrifice bunt was fielded and then thrown away down the right field line. Cousineau went to second and – after a walk, two outs, and a pitching change – scored on Delany Wilkes’ single to left. Fred Pete followed with a single to shallow center to score Mike Springer from second and make it 4-2 Lynx.

“That inning was so key because I’ve always asked for them to just get me the lead and we’d take it from there,” Whitney said.

The inning followed a masterful escape from a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, when the Eagles loaded the bases with one out, but failed to score as Chris Candage was gunned down at the plate on a failed suicide squeeze play and Whitney retired Nick Henry with a strikeout to end the threat.

“He did a good job getting out of a couple jams. That inning where they got out of it with the bases loaded and caught us on the squeeze, I think they gained a lot of confidence,” said GSA coach Dan Kane. “I know he came out and threw a little harder and attacked us from that point. That was the big point in the game.”

The Eagles scored a run in the sixth on Candage’s two-out walk, a passed ball, and Ryan Hutchins’ single through the left infield gap to cut the deficit to 4-3, but could advance a runner no further than first base after that.

“I thought tonight would be a football score,” MA coach Greg Reed admitted. “Frankly, I was just hoping we’d go seven innings because I know they’re fundamentally sound and hit the starch out of the ball.”

Ironically, fundamentals cost the Eagles as they committed four errors for four unearned MA runs.

“I think this is the most errors we’ve made this year,” Kane said. “And they made us pay for them.”

The Lynx, who helped themselves by getting their leadoff batters on base six out of seven innings, were victimized by aggressive baserunning as three would-be basestealers were thrown out at second by GSA catcher Travis Bannister.

“Part of that aggressiveness on the basepaths was my fault,” said Reed. “This is the first time I’ve worn a sleeveless shirt, and so a couple times I was just waving blackflies away and kids picked up steal signs off that.

“We’ve had some real weird stuff happen this year with this group so that’s about normal for us.”

Lynx 4, Eagles 3

Mattanawcook boys (15-4) George Stevens (17-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB BI

Murchison, cf 3 1 2 0 Bannister, c 4 0

Springer, 2b 3 1 0 0 Clapp, ss 2 0

Kites, rf 3 0 0 1 Allen, 2b 3 1

Wilkes, dh 2 0 1 1 Sargent, 3b 3 0

Weatherbee, lf 0 0 0 0 Lowell, lf 1

Pete, c 4 0 1 1 Candage, dh 0

Malone, 3b 3 0 1 0 a-Astbury 0 0

McLellan, 1b 3 0 1 0 Hutchins, 1b 3 0 1

b-Dupuis 0 0 0 0 c-Garvey 0

Whitney, p 3 0 1 0 Reuter, rf 3 0

d-Gardner 0 1 0 0 Henry, cf 3 0

Cousineau, ss 2 1 0 0

Totals 26 4 7 3 Totals 24 3 3

a-ran for Candage in the sixth, b-ran for McLellan in the sixth, c-ran for Hutchins in the sixth, ran for Whitney in the fifth

Mattanawcook Academy 001 030 0 ? 4

George Stevens Academy 200 001 0 ? 3

E?Malone; Clapp, Allen, Sargent, Bates; LOB?Mattanawcook 7, GSA 5; 2B?Murchison; Bannister; DP?Clapp-Hutchins; S?Cousineau; SF?Kites, Lowell; SB?Murchison; Clapp

Mattanawcook IP H R ER BB SO

Whitney (W,2-0) 7 5 3 2 3 7

George Stevens IP H R ER BB SO

Bates (L,5-1) 41/3 4 4 0 1 3

Yurchick 22/3 3 0 0 2 1

HBP?Wilkes by Bates, Candage by Whitney; WP?Yurchick; PB?Pete; ATT?550 (est.)