LINCOLN – The last time the Mattanawcook Academy Lynx met their rivals from Lee Academy, they watched the Pandas take a five-run lead before the Lynx rallied late to win.

With that in mind, the Lynx weren’t about to ease off after jumping on Lee for four runs in each of the first two innings.

So while starting pitcher Steve Whitney held Lee to five hits, the Lynx kept up the offensive pressure with at least one run every inning en route to a 12-2, mercy rule-shortened baseball win on a bright, balmy and buggy afternoon.

It was the 13th straight victory for the youthful Lynx.

Catcher Fred Pete, the lone senior in MA’s starting lineup, delivered the big early blow as he followed back-to-back walks with a 340-foot shot over the fence in left center on a 3-1 curveball to stake the Lynx to a 3-0 lead in the first.

“I figured he wasn’t gonna give me another fastball, so I figured he might go with a curve,” Pete said.

Two outs later, back-to-back doubles by Matt Malone and Andy McLellan (who has doubled in two straight games after missing the first 12 games with a broken wrist) scored another run.

Back-to-back singles started the second for the Lynx. A throwing error sandwiched between two strikeouts proved fatal for Lee as MA scored two runs and prolonged the inning. Three of the next four Lynx batters walked and the one who didn’t (Malone) hit an RBI single as MA upped the lead to 8-0.

“Walking two guys to set up that home run was big because instead of one run they get three,” said Lee coach Randy Harris, whose Pandas are now 9-5. “Then we started booting the ball around and they get some more unearned runs the next inning. They’re just too good a team to do that against and win.”

Andrew Kites ripped a first-pitch fastball down the left-field line and for a 320-foot home run – MA’s 17th of the season – in the third.

Lee scored twice in the fourth, courtesy of Bruce Stevens’ leadoff double, Jeremy Ham’s single, Nate Dow’s fielder’s choice grounder, and Zac Currie’s RBI double.

Meanwhile, Whitney was rediscovering his curveball as he struck out four and walked one in five innings of work.

“I haven’t really had it all year and now it’s coming back,” said the sophomore righthander. “I tried to keep my fastball down because the last time I faced them, I left it up and they hit it everywhere.”

They didn’t this time around, but MA did. The Lynx capped the scoring with three runs on two hit batters, Whitney’s RBI double, and another big error in the fourth.

MA’s 14-1 record has been a nice surprise for coach Greg Reed.

“I thought we’d be pretty good, but I never expected this kind of success,” he said. “We lost a lot in the outfield and we weren’t sure about the pitching, but the kids have stepped up and we might not have anyone who’s real overpowering, but we have a lot of arms we can use without a big dropoff.”

LYNX 12, PANDAS 2

Lee Academy (9-5) Mattanawcook (14-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Emery, p-cf 3 0 0 0 Dupuis, rf 3 2 0

Severance, 1b 3 0 2 0 Day, rf 0 0 0

Stevens, 2b-ss-3b 3 1 1 0 Kites, lf 3 1

Ham, cf-3b-p 2 1 1 0 Greenlaw, lf 0 0 0

Dow, ss-p 2 0 0 1 Pete, c 3 2 1 4

Currie, c 2 0 1 1 Lasko, dh 3 0 0

Mallett, rf 2 0 0 0 Gardner, cf 0 0 0

Thompson, lf 2 0 0 0 Libbey, 1b 1 2 0

Worster, 3b-2b 1 0 0 0 Malone, 3b 2 1

a-MacDonald 0 0 0 0 McLellan, 2b 2 0 1

Whitney, p 2 1 1 2

Cousineau, ss 3 1 1 1

Totals 20 2 5 2 Totals 22 12 8 10

a-walked for Worster in fifth

Lee Academy 000 20 ? 2

Mattanawcook Academy 441 3x ? 12

E? Emery, Stevens, Worster; Malone; LOB? Lee 4; Mattanawcook 5; 2B? Stevens, Currie; Malone, McLellan, Whitney; HR? Kites (2), Pete (2); DP? Malone-Libbey

Lee Academy IP H R ER BB SO

Emery (L, 2-3) 2 6 8 4 5 2

Dow 2 2 4 3 0 1

Mattanawcook IP H R ER BB SO

Whitney (W,3-1) 5 5 2 2 1 4

HBP? Libbey by Dow, Malone by Dow; WP? Emery; T? 1:32; ATT? 136