LEE – As befitting a game between two rival schools, the Lee and Mattanawcook softball teams saw rallies come and go and momentum swing back and forth in Friday afternoon’s game at Clemons Field. And no wonder – it could be the final game between the two schools for the next couple of years due to a switch in classification.

The Pandas fought back from an early deficit, but the Lynx of Lincoln had the last word between the two schools that sit about 12 miles apart on Route 6.

Mattanawcook, which is moving from Class C to Class B next year, earned an 11-8 victory over the Class D Pandas.

“This is awesome,” said Mattanawcook’s Kaitlin Shorey, who singled twice, drove in two runs in the fifth, and scored two runs. “They’re our biggest rivals in everything. We can’t get them in basketball, so we get them in softball.”

The Lynx pounded out 14 hits to improve to 10-4, including a 5-4 win over Lee earlier this year, while the Pandas fell to 10-4.

Mattanawcook took a 4-0 lead after the first inning thanks in part to a Jordan McCafferty RBI double and scored three more in the fourth when Shorey hit a two-run double and scored on an error.

“They had a lot of baserunners because they put the ball in play and once they get on base they have some quickness and that hurts,” Lee coach Ron Weatherbee said. “We had some defensive mistakes but they also had some very good hits.”

But the Pandas started to rally in the bottom of the fourth when Shelby Pickering doubled and eventually scored on a Jackie Moors sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Lee put a scare into MA with five runs as the previously errorless Lynx defense faltered a bit. Marci Moors had a two-run single in the inning.

With the Lynx clinging to a 7-6 lead, Cami Cousineau and pinch-hitter Michelle Paul each had an RBI single as Mattanawcook scored four more runs in the top of the seventh. Reliever Danielle NiCastro picked up her sixth save after allowing two runs in the bottom of the seventh.

McCafferty (10-3) allowed seven hits and one walk but just four baserunners until the sixth inning.

Although she was in the circle for Lee’s five-run sixth, McCafferty was hurt mainly by poor defense, including two situations in which Lynx infielders weren’t covering bases and runners were allowed to advance and score.

“I do get frustrated when that happens,” she said. “But we stayed strong after that and came back with an awesome win.”

LYNX 11, PANDAS 8

Mattanawcook (10-4) Lee (10-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Pietras, 1b 4 1 2 0 Bird, cf 4 0 0

Cousineau, cf 3 2 2 1 K. Harris, lf 3 0

Hanscom, ss 5 2 3 0 Pickering, ss 3 3 0

Shorey, lf 5 2 2 2 Read, 2b 4 0 0

Ireland, c 4 0 0 0 J. Moors, 3b 3 0 1

Paul, pr-ph 1 1 1 1 Ritchie, c 3 1 2

McCafferty, p 3 0 2 2 B. Harris, p 3 0

Kimball, pr 0 0 0 0 Houghton, ph 0 1 0

Burleigh, ph 0 1 0 0 Gifford, 1b 3 1 0

Gates, rf 4 1 1 0 M. Moors, rf 3 0 2

Gulesian, 2b 4 1 1 0 Ham, rf 0 0 0 0

Vose, 3b 3 0 0 0

Totals 36 11 14 6 Totals 29 8 8 5

Mattanawcook 400 300 4 – 11

Lee 000 105 2 – 8

E-Ireland, Shorey; J. Moors 2, Bird, Read, Ritchie; LOB-Mattanawcook 8, Lee 5; 2B-Shorey, McCafferty; Pickering, Ritchie; DP-Read-Gifford; SF-J. Moors

Mattanawcook IP H R ER BB SO

McCafferty (W, 10-3) 5 2/3 7 6 3 0 2

NiCastro (S, 6) 1 1/3 1 2 2 1 1

Lee IP H R ER BB SO

B. Harris (L, 10-4) 7 14 11 7 2 3

HBP-Cousineau (by B. Harris); Pickering (by NiCastro); PB-Ireland; T-1:28; ATT-50 (est.)