LINCOLN – When Steve Whitney talks about the 2004 Mattanawcook Academy baseball team, he thinks back to 2001.

“We look at this year being the same way we were my freshman year,” said Whitney, a senior righthander. ” Nobody expected us to do anything, but we’ve come in and surprised some people early, and at the end of the year we’re going to play the ball that we can play.”

The 2001 Lynx won an Eastern Maine Class C title, and the 2004 edition is off to a 5-0 start after topping previously undefeated Lee Academy 10-0 on Friday.

As a freshman, Whitney earned the pitching win in the Eastern Maine final. As a senior, he is part of a deep staff that so far has allowed only six runs and even fewer walks.

“We’ve had very good pitching,” said MA coach Greg Reed, citing the work of Whitney, Wayne Berry, Justin Day and Bryan Berry. ” I think the kids expected quite a bit of themselves this season, more than other people did. I think people forgot what we had coming back for pitching.”

Whitney (2-0) had near-perfect control against Class D Lee (5-1). He threw just 61 pitches – 48 for strikes – during his five-inning three-hitter and struck out four, walked one and hit a batter.

“With the fastball I had good control, but the curve went where it wanted to,” said Whitney. “I relied on the fastball, and location was the key. I got up in the count and worked my way from there.”

Whitney was backed by an errorless defense highlighted by center fielder Dustin Hanscom’s diving catch that robbed Lee’s Kris King of a hit in the third inning.

“We told the kids that 10-0 or 1-0, Whitney did a good job, give him credit,” said Lee coach Randy Harris. ” We’ve got a team batting average over .400, but today he did a good job of shutting us down and they made plays behind him.”

Mattanawcook reached right-hander Nate Dow – one of two seniors on the Lee roster – for 10 hits. Jason Murchison had a pair of two-run singles and Whitney and Bryan Berry each added two singles, with Whitney adding three RBIs.

“Today we came more mentally prepared and hit the ball better than we have been,” said Murchison. ” But we have been hitting the ball.”

Murchison’s single through the shortstop hole drove home brothers Dylan and Dustin Hanscom to highlight a three-run first inning. Two Lee errors led to another Lynx run in the second, and MA put the game away with two runs in the fourth and four in the fifth.

The fourth-inning uprising began when Dustin Hanscom rallied from a 1-2 count to work a two-out walk. Tyler Gardner singled, and both scored after an intentional walk to Murchison when Whitney singled to right.

In the fifth, singles by Corey Drost, Bryan Berry and Dylan Hanscom loaded the bases with no one out. Dustin Hanscom singled off the base of the fence in left field to drive home one run. Murchison followed with a two-run single, and Whitney ended the game with an RBI single.

“We’ve said all year that there was going to be a game where we’re going to jell,” said Whitney, “and this was that game. Everything clicked.”

LYNX 10, PANDAS 0

Lee (5-1) Mattanawcook (5-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Currie, c 3 0 0 0 Dy. Hanscom, ss 4 2 0

King, rf 3 0 1 0 Du. Hanscom, cf 2 3 1

Thompson, ss 2 0 1 0 Gardner, rf 3 1 0

Dow, p 1 0 0 0 Murchison, lf 3 1 4

Houghton, 3b 2 0 0 0 Whitney, p 4 0 3

Worster, 2b 2 0 1 0 Day, dh 2 0 0 1

Doane, dh-1b 2 0 0 0 W. Berry, 1b 0 0 0

Boulrisse, 1b 0 0 0 0 Jensen, 3b 2 0

Stevens, cf 2 0 0 0 Drost, c 3 2 0

Ro, lf 0 0 0 0 B. Berry, 2b 3 0 0

Clark, lf 1 0 0 0 a-Markie 0 1 0

Totals 18 0 3 0 Totals 26 10 10 9

a-ran for B. Berry in 5th

Lee Acad. 000 00 ? 0

Mattanawcook Acad. 310 24 ? 10

E?Thompson 2, Houghton; LOB?Lee 5; Mattanawcook 9; SB?Gardner

Lee IP H R ER BB SO

Dow (L, 1-1) 4 1/3 10 10 8 6 8

Mattanawcook IP H R ER BB SO

Whitney (W, 2-0) 5 3 0 0 1 4

HBP?Dow by Whitney; WP?Dow 4; T?1:30; ATT?150 (est.)