BANGOR – The Trenton Acadians were opportunists Friday night.

And now they’re one win away from a berth in the State American Legion Tournament.

The Acadians scored five unearned runs in the seventh inning, getting four of them with two-out hits, and they went on to post a 7-3 win over Lincoln.

Garrett Hardison’s run-scoring single to left broke the 3-3 tie, Nick Henry followed with a two-run triple and Mark Clapp doubled him home.

The Acadians, 17-7, will face 23-1 Brewer, in Saturday’s noon winners bracket game; Lincoln, 14-10, and 12-12 Calais will meet in a 4 p.m. elimination game and the two remaining teams with one loss will play at 8 p.m.

Righthander Josh Gott went the distance for the win, allowing 10 hits and three fourth-inning runs, while striking out eight and walking five. He stranded 11 runners.

“I just went right after them. I was going to make them beat me,” said Gott. “I went with my fastball and slider. I got them lunging at my slider.”

Tony Conroy, whose terrific diving catch in right field in the first inning saved two runs, started the decisive seventh-inning rally by lining a single to center.

Dustin Young put down a sacrifice bunt and when losing pitcher Matt Malone threw wide of first for an error, both runners moved up.

A drifting popup was dropped by second baseman Scott Flannery, allowing Conroy to score the tying run.

Malone got a strikeout and fielder’s choice but Hardison lined his first pitch to left to snap the tie.

“I was looking for a pitch I could hit, something down the middle. He threw me a fastball down the middle,” said Hardison.

Henry followed by blasting a 1-1 pitch to the base of the fence for his triple.

“He had lost three or four miles an hour off his fastball and I was able to get my hands through [the zone] and drive the ball,” said Henry.

Clapp then looped his double down the left -ield line.

“You can’t afford to give a team in the tournament five outs in an inning. Things are going to go bad for you,” said Lincoln coach John Montgomery.

Chris Candage’s RBI double in the second and Clapp’s RBI fielder’s choice in the third staked Trenton to a 2-0 lead but Lincoln answered in the fourth on Matt Wark’s two-out RBI double to left; Jeremy Ham’s RBI single, Tyler Gardner’s base hit and walks to Flannery and Matt Leino (RBI).

Malone pitched well in defeat as just one of the seven runs off him was earned. He went seven innings. He struck out six and didn’t walk anybody. Craig Cullen struck out the side in the eighth.

Henry and Conroy had two hits apiece for Trenton, which played errorless ball, while Gardner and Flannery had two each for the Lumber.

Flannery said Gott was effective.

“He threw strikes, he had good control of his fastball and had a pretty decent curve,” said Flannery. “He did a good job.”

ACADIANS 7, LUMBER 3

Lincoln (14-10) Trenton (17-7)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ham, cf 5 1 1 1 Hardison, 2b 4 1 1

Gardner, lf 5 0 2 0 Henry, cf 4 1 2

Flannery, 2b 3 0 2 0 Clapp, ss 4 0 1

Leino, 3b 3 0 1 1 Cousins, 3b 3 0 0

Malone, p-1b 4 0 1 0 Conroy, rf 4 2 0

Whitney, c 4 0 1 0 Young, 1b 3 0 0

Cullen, 1b-p 3 1 0 0 Candage, c 4 1 1

Cousineau, ss 4 0 1 0 Tripp, dh 3 0

Wark, rf 4 1 1 1 Astbury, lf 3 2 0

Totals 35 3 10 3 Totals 32 7 7 5

Lincoln 000 300 000 ? 3

Trenton 011 000 50x ? 7

E? Whitney, Malone, Flannery; LOB? Lincoln 11, Trenton 3; 2B? Clapp, Candage, Flannery, Wark; 3B? Henry; DP? Clapp to Young; S? Young; SB? Gardner

Lincoln IP H R ER BB SO

Malone (L, 1-4) 7 7 7 1 0 6

Cullen 1 0 0 0 0 3

Trenton IP H R ER BB SO

Gott (W, 3-1) 9 10 3 3 5 8

HBP? Cousins (by Malone); PB? Whitney; T? 2:01; ATT? 100 (est.)