Golden Bucks switch gears to defeat Eagles

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ELLSWORTH – A potent offense has been one key to success for the Bucksport baseball team this spring.

But the big bats took a back seat to aggressive baserunning, defense, and the five-hit pitching of senior Joe Robicheau on Thursday as the Golden Bucks ran their winning streak to 12 games with a 2-1 Class B victory over Ellsworth.

Sophomore center fielder Eddie Robbins thwarted two Ellsworth threats with his arm, while 12-1 Bucksport scored both of its runs from second base on infield grounders.

“They made some heads-up plays,” said Ellsworth coach Dana Smith.

Ellsworth, now 10-2 after its second loss to Bucksport, took a 1-0 lead in the first as singles by Rick Trombley, Louden Jellison, and Cory Smith produced the Eagles’ lone run. But when Jellison also tried to score on Smith’s one-out single to center, Robbins fired a perfect throw home that left Bucksport catcher Cam Wadleigh waiting to make the tag.

“I looked up for a quick second and saw their coach telling him to go and rounding him around third,” Robbins said. “I just knew I could get him.”

Robicheau allowed just two more hits the rest of the way in improving his record this spring to 6-1.

“It usually takes a couple of innings for me to get going,” said Robicheau, who struck out two and walked three. “I knew they were going to come out looking for the fastball, so I just changed it up. I mixed my pitches a lot more.”

Bucksport needed a strong effort from Robicheau to match the work of Ellsworth senior Cory Smith. Smith pitched a six-hitter with two strikeouts and two walks.

Pinch runner Derek Fish scored from second on a fielder’s choice by Todd Freeman to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Freeman’s grounder forced out Joe Soper at second base for the second out, but as that play was being made Fish kept running all the way home to tie the game.

“That was huge, a sophomore coming in as a pinch runner in the fourth inning down 1-0 and to have his wits about him enough to know I’m going to send him,” said Bucksport coach Tiger Stewart. “That’s a big play and I gave him the game ball because of it.”

Walks to Jellison and Smith gave Ellsworth two on with none out in the bottom of the fourth before Mike Smith lined the ball toward right-center field. But there was Robbins to make a running catch. With Ellsworth thinking the ball was going to fall, Jellison was off with the crack of the bat. Robbins threw to second to complete the double play.

“I actually started back on it,” Robbins said. “I thought it was back beyond our right fielder, but then I saw the runner on second going to third, and I caught it and it was a pretty easy throw from there.”

Teddy Cooke reached on an infield hit to open the Bucksport fifth, and took second on an errant throw. Smith retired the next two batters before Chris Maguire grounded to short. The throw to first was wide, and Maguire reached first as Cooke came around to score what proved to be the game-winning run.

GOLDEN BUCKS 2, EAGLES 1

Bucksport (12-1) Ellsworth (10-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Jackson, ss 4 0 0 0 Trombley, 3b 3 1 0

Robbins, cf 3 0 1 0 Homich, ss 3 0 0

Maguire, 3b 4 0 1 0 Jellison, c 2 0 0

Robicheau, p 3 0 1 0 C. Smith, p 2 0 1

Wadleigh, c 3 0 0 0 M. Smith, rf 3 0 0

Fish, pr 0 1 0 0 Hunnewell, 2b 3 0 0

Soper, dh 2 0 1 0 Baez, pr 0 0 0

Bisher, 1b 0 0 0 0 Berry, 1b 3 0 0

Freeman, rf 3 0 1 1 Allen, pr 0 0 0

Dedmon, lf 3 0 0 0 Kelley, cf 3 0 0

Cooke, 2b 2 1 1 0 Folmer, dh 2 0 0

O. Harding, lf 0 0 0 0

Totals 27 2 6 1 Totals 24 1 5 1

Bucksport 000 110 0 – 2

Ellsworth 100 000 0 – 1

E-Dedmon, Jackson; C. Smith, Homich; LOB-Bucksport 5, Ellsworth 7; 2B-Freeman; DP-Robbins to Jackson; SB-Cooke 2, Robbins, Maguire

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Robicheau (W, 6-1) 7 5 1 1 3 2

Ellsworth IP H R ER BB SO

C. Smith (L, 3-2) 7 6 2 1 2 2

WP- C. Smith; T-1:50; ATT-100 (est.)