Head Style: head42 – 42 Point, 2 deck, Minion-SemiboldBDN95, Plain; 87; 2 col

Body Spec: Body Text; colw: 11p0; depth:6.16 (in.)

“We lost to them and we wanted to win

today.”

BUCKSPORT’S KATIE ALLEN

HERMON – Thanks to its ability to capitalize on the opposition’s first-inning mistakes, the Bucksport High softball team set up senior pitcher Terren Hall for a big day in an Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal.

The No. 6 Golden Bucks scored two quick runs and then let ace Hall take over as she tossed a two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts in a 2-0 win over No. 3 Hermon Thursday at the high school field.

Hall recorded eight strikeouts in the first three innings while singling and scoring the eventual game-winning run to help defending Class B state champ Bucksport (15-3) move to the semifinals. The Golden Bucks will face No. 2 Ellsworth which beat No. 10 Mattanawcook of Lincoln 3-0 Thursday.

Ellsworth (16-1) beat Bucksport twice in the regular season.

Bucksport captains Hall, Katie Hurd and Katie Allen said they were eager to face the Hawks (12-5) in the quarterfinals. Hermon beat the Bucks 3-2 in a May 2 game and Bucksport earned the regular-season split 3-0 on May 15.

“We were hoping to play them,” Allen said. “We lost to them and we wanted to win today.”

Leadoff batter Hall got things started for Bucksport when she hit an infield single and beat the tag at first base. After Hermon pitcher Ashley Kelley recorded the first of her seven strikeouts, Katie Hurd reached first on an error and made it to third when the ball rolled into right field.

“We knew if we hit they ball they’d make errors,” Hurd said. “We took advantage of it. We got on base and scored runs.”

Hall scored from first on the error and one batter later, pinch runner Cassie Wilson scored from third when Alex Sullivan grounded out.

“It’s a game of mistakes and whoever makes the fewest is probably going to win,” Hermon coach Adam Leach said. “That’s what happened today.”

After the two runs scored, the game turned into a duel between Hall and Kelley.

Hall gave up a leadoff double to Kelley in the second but the Bucksport ace then retired 17 straight on 11 strikeouts, four groundouts and a flyout. Hall struck out the side in the first, third and fifth innings.

“I’m a senior,” Hall said. “It could be my last game. So I just had to go all out.”

Kelley broke Hall’s streak when she walked with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. It wasn’t intentional but Hall just wanted to make sure Kelley didn’t get anything to hit.

“Ashley’s a great hitter and it’s tough to pitch around her,” Golden Bucks coach Mike Carrier said. “[Hall] was trying to hit her spots that last time with drop balls, working her hard inside and outside.”

Hermon’s Amanda Page followed with a single but Hall got a game-ending groundout.

As for Kelley, she walked just one and gave up only two hits after the first inning. Keely Sullivan of Bucksport hit a one-out triple in the seventh but pinch runner Megan Benson couldn’t score on the first of two flyouts.

“We knew what their strengths were,” Leach said of his junior ace. “… She wasn’t going to strike out 15, 16 batters, but she had to keep the ball on the ground and keep them from driving the pitches. She did a good job.”

GOLDEN BUCKS 2, HAWKS 0

Bucksport (15-3) Hermon (12-5)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Hall, p 3 1 1 0 Beers, 3b 3 0 0

Breidt, 1b 3 0 0 0 Gallant, cf 3 0 0

Hurd, c 3 0 0 0 Barry, ss 3 0 0

Wilson, pr 0 1 0 0 Kelley, p 2 0 0

A. Sullivan, ss 3 0 1 1 Page, c 3 0 0

Kay. Allen, rf 3 0 0 0 Cyr, pr 0 0 0

Winters, 3b 3 0 0 0 Arnold, 1b 3 0 0

K. Sullivan, 2b 3 0 1 0 Wharton, rf 2 0

Benson, pr 0 0 0 0 Foye, dh 2 0 0

Kat. Allen, cf 3 0 0 0 Veilleux, lf 0 0

Hutchins, lf 1 0 0 0 Woodard, 2b 2 0 0

Lenor, lf 1 0 0 0

Totals 26 2 3 1 Totals 23 0 2 0

Bucksport 200 000 0 – 2

Hermon 000 000 0 – 0

E-Woodard, Kelley; LOB-Bucksport 4, Hermon 3; 2B-Kelley; 3B-K. Sullivan

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Hall (W, 7-2) 7 2 0 0 1 14

Hermon IP H R ER BB SO

Kelley (L, 12-5) 7 3 2 0 1 7

PB-Hurd; T-1:09; ATT-150 (est.)