LINCOLN – With the way Bucksport High School’s Keely Sullivan was pitching, the Mattanawcook Academy softball team was in dire need of a clutch hit.

They not only got that, but some dynamite pitching to go with it.

Bree Hanscom delivered a two-out triple to the right-center field gap and scored on an error after two were out in the bottom of the fifth inning and Taylor Trask struck out six of the eight batters she faced as the Lynx tripped up the Golden Bucks 2-1 in a Class B pitchers duel Monday.

Hanscom didn’t waste any time, blasting a first-pitch fastball from Sullivan to the fence and trotted home one pitch later as Hillary Pelkey reached on an infield error.

“It was big, I knew they were going to try to get ahead of me so I was going to try to get ahead of them,” said Hanscom.

Trask came through in the top half of the frame for the Lynx, who won their fourth consecutive game to improve to 4-1 on the spring.

The freshman righthander inherited a second-and-third, one-out situation, but struck out the next two hitters on six consecutive fastballs to end the inning.

The Bucks, who dropped to 2-3, wouldn’t threaten again.

“I felt it gave us a defensive lift [when] she got us out of that inning,” said Mattanawcook coach Dean Libbey.

Trask complemented senior Deni Nicastro formidably.

Nicastro went the first 4 1/3 innings to earn the win, surrendering one hit and one unearned run while walking nobody, hitting two batters and striking out five.

No matter who was in the circle for the Lynx, the Golden Bucks could not generate any offense.

Caitie Denning’s single in the top of the third was not only the only hit of the afternoon for coach Mike Carrier’s club, but it was one of only two balls that left the infield all afternoon.

“We had a few errors, but we stuck in there and came out with a win,” said Nicastro. “Our defense did awesome today, we definitely stayed up on them.”

Denning got the Bucks on the board first in the third. She swiped second base after singling, moved to third on Megan Benson’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a dropped third strike.

The Lynx countered in the bottom half, as Kristy Burleigh drove a two-out RBI single to center.

Desperate to get something going against Trask in the seventh, Denning tried to lay down a bunt but was gunned down on a bang-bang play at first.

Trask went on to strike out the next two hitters to end it.

“We couldn’t get the bunt down, that hurt,” Carrier said. “I’m happy though, we played this team [well].”

This win gives the Lynx their second over the Golden Bucks in less than a week, and Libbey couldn’t recall the last time his club beat Bucksport twice in one season.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

990-8193

LYNX 2, GOLDEN BUCKS 1

Bucksport (2-3) Mattanawcook (4-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Harriman, cf 3 0 0 0 Bro.Hanscom, cf 3 1 0

Lenor, c 3 0 0 0 Bre.Hanscom, ss 3 1 0

Panaro, lf 3 0 0 0 Pelkey, dh 3 0 0

Sullivan, p 2 0 0 0 Burleigh, 1b 3 0 1

Pelletier, 3b 3 0 0 0 Libbey, lf 3 0

Bridges, rf 3 0 0 0 West, 2b 2 0 0

Denning, ss 3 1 1 0 Nicastro, p 2 0 0

Sutherland, 1b 2 0 0 0 Kimball, ph 1 0

Bass, ph 1 0 0 0 Fortin, 3b 2 0 0

Benson, 2b 2 0 0 0 Nesin, rf 1 0 0

Killinger, pr 0 0 0 0 Gardiner, rf 1 0

Trask, p 0 0 0 0

Gulesian, c 0 0 0 0

Totals 25 1 1 0 Totals 24 2 3 1

Bucksport 001 000 0 – 1

Mattanawcook 001 010 x – 2

E-Lenor, Benson, Panaro; Nicastro 2; LOB-Bucksport 5, Mattanawcook 5; 3B-Bre. Hanscom; S-Benson; SB-Denning; Libbey

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Sullivan (L) 7 3 2 0 1 10

Mattanawcook IP H R ER BB SO

Nicastro (W) 4 1/3 1 1 0 0 5

Trask (S) 2 2/3 0 0 0 0 6

HBP-Sullivan (by Nicastro), Denning (by Nicastro); PB-Gulesian; T-1:27; ATT-75 (est.)