BUCKSPORT – Nikki Smith was stellar, the defense was sharp, and the hits came in timely spots – all hallmarks of the Bucksport softball team, both in the regular season and in Thursday’s Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal game against Erskine Academy.

Smith scattered four hits and struck out 11 as the No. 1 Golden Bucks eliminated the No. 9 Eagles of South China with a 4-1 victory in the mist at Wardwell Field.

The Bucks, now 16-1, will host No. 4 John Bapst of Bangor in a semifinal Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Eagles finish at 10-8.

It was an especially sweet win for Bucksport, which had lost to Erskine in the playoffs three years in a row before Thursday.

“It was definitely revenge time,” Bucksport’s Elissa Gordon said. “… We’re starting to peak now. We had the bats going all game, even if we were hitting them to people.”

Bucksport got to Erskine early, both on offense and defense. Smith struck out the side in the first, and the Bucks scored two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Alice Andrews hit a one-out single to spark the Bucks, and Tara Tweedie and Gordon followed with a single apiece to load the bases. After a flyout, Jill Richards drew a walk to plate Andrews and Ashley McAllian singled to left-center, scoring Tweedie.

Smith induced three groundouts in the second and struck out the side in the third. The Golden Bucks’ defense stepped up again in the fourth.

Smith started the inning with a strikeout and then gave up her first hit of the day, a Kelsy Cloutier single. Cloutier was forced out at second as Linda Horak reached on a fielder’s choice. Horak then advanced to second on a Cally Thomas single.

The next batter, Amanda Fortin, hit a ball to right and Horak went to third and headed home. Tweedie, the Bucks’ rightfielder, grabbed the ball and threw home to catcher Andrews, who tagged Horak out at the plate and ended the inning.

“Our defense is very strong,” McAllian said. “Nikki knows if she throws strikes her defense is behind her.”

Bucksport added two runs in the bottom of the fourth as McAllian and Jessica McDonald both singled and scored. The Bucks defense had another stellar inning in the fifth, catching Julie Sirois off the base after she hit a leadoff double. Two Erskine batters struck out looking.

“I was throwing fastballs and drops, but mostly drops,” Smith said. “[The defensive play] was the best.”

The Eagles put up a run in the sixth. Karla Emerson hit a one-out single, got to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an error. Erskine got a baserunner to third in the seventh, but Smith got two strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.

“Take away the errors we made not only in the field and running-wise, we win that ballgame,” Erskine coach Lynn Chadwick said. “Bottom line is we just didn’t come out and play the way we should have.”

GOLDEN BUCKS 4, EAGLES 1

Erskine (10-8) Bucksport (16-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Emerson, cf 3 1 1 0 Taylor, 2b 3 0 1

Cloutier, lf 3 0 1 0 Andrews, c 2 1 0

Horak, ss 3 0 0 0 Tweedie, rf 3 1 0

b-Smith 0 0 0 0 Gordon, 3b 3 0 0

Thomas, 1b 3 0 1 0 Mauraukas, 1b 3 0 0

Fortin, dh 2 0 0 0 Richards, ss 2 0 0

Sirois, 3b 2 0 1 0 McAllian, lf 3 1 1

Gleaton, 3b 1 0 0 0 McDonald, cf 3 1 0

Oxley, 2b 3 0 0 0 Smith, p 2 0 0

Burke, c 2 0 0 0 a-Adams 0 0 0 0

Totals 22 1 4 0 Totals 24 4 7 2

a-ran for Smith in 2nd; b-ran for Horak in 6th

Erskine 000 001 0 ? 1

Bucksport 200 200 x ? 4

E?Thomas; Smith; LOB?Erskine 2, Bucksport 5; 2B?Sirois; S?Andrews

Erskine IP H R ER BB SO

Bechard (L) 6 7 4 2 2 0

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Smith (W) 7 4 1 0 1 11

WP?Bechard; Smith 2; T?1:21; ATT?50 (est.)