BUCKSPORT – In a softball game like this, one key break – or mistake, depending on your point of view – usually determines the winner.

That was the case Thursday afternoon as Bucksport pitcher Keely Sullivan matched John Bapst of Bangor freshman Laura Jordan almost pitch for pitch before undefeated Bapst scored an unearned run and made it stand up for a 1-0 victory.

Jordan looked decidedly unfreshman-like as she held the Golden Bucks to one hit through six full innings of work with near-pinpoint control.

“They weren’t hitting the outside corner very well and they didn’t have much success on the down ball, so my catcher really had me working those,” Jordan said. “We kind of worked to find out [the umpire’s strike] zone in the first inning and had a little trouble in the second, but we got the hang of it in the third.”

Jordan walked two batters with two outs in the second, but escaped it after the runner at second was called out for taking her lead too early (before the pitcher went into her windup). Bucksport also had two on in the third, but shortstop Kacy Harvey ended the threat with one of Bapst’s two double plays. She nabbed an infield liner and caught the runner off first.

The 5-0 Crusaders weren’t faring much better offensively. Sullivan retired the first seven batters and had allowed only two baserunners in the first five innings. Harvey then led off the sixth by reaching on a throwing error. She moved to second on a bunt and then, with two outs, scored on a fielding error.

“That was the break we needed, and that was the game right there,” said Bapst coach Bill Baker, whose teams had never beaten the Bucks in his four-year tenure. “We didn’t talk about it, but we knew it. This is a big win for our confidence.”

Jordan racked up seven strikeouts while issuing four walks to improve her record to 2-0. She left the game in the seventh after walking the leadoff batter and Richard earned her second save with a double play off an infield flyout and a fly ball to short.

It was the second tough-luck loss of the season for Sullivan, who’s now 2-2 for the 3-4 Bucks.

“The first mistake is where you win and lose in a game like this,” said Bucks coach Mike Carrier. “We’ve got to stop giving up unearned runs. We gave up two in Lincoln and she pitched as well there as she did here, but we lost that one, too.”

Sullivan allowed two hits and one walk while striking out nine batters in seven innings.

“She’s tough on us. I think we had about nine strikeouts and we usually hit the ball well, but we didn’t today,” said Baker. “She has a nice array of pitches, and I think she had our girls guessing all the time.”

aneff@bangordailynews.net

990-8205

CRUSADERS 1, GOLDEN BUCKS 0

John Bapst (5-0) Bucksport (3-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Sinclair, 2b 3 0 0 0 Harriman, cf 3 0 0

Jordan, p-cf 2 0 0 0 Lenor, c 3 0 0

Laferriere, 1b 3 0 1 0 Pelletier, 3b 2 0

Toomey, 3b 3 0 1 0 Yeo, pr 0 0 0 0

Richard, cf-p 3 0 0 0 Sullivan, p 3 0

St. John, rf 2 0 0 0 Denning, ss 3 0 0

Umphrey, ph 1 0 0 0 Panaro, lf 1 0 0

Perkins, c 3 0 0 0 Bridges, rf 1 0 0

Lawrence, lf 2 0 0 0 Sutherland, 1b 1 0 0

Harvey, ss 2 1 0 0 Sanangelo, pr 0 0 0

Benson, 2b 1 0 0 0

Killinger, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 24 1 2 0 Totals 19 0 1 0

John Bapst 000 001 0 – 1

Bucksport 000 000 0 – 0

E-Benson 2, Bridges; LOB-John Bapst 4; Bucksport 2; DP-John Bapst 2; S-Jordan

John Bapst IP H R ER BB SO

Jordan (W, 2-0) 6 1 0 0 4 7

Richard (S, 2) 1 0 0 0 0 0

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Sullivan (L, 2-3) 7 2 1 0 1 9

Jordan pitched to 1 batter in the 7th

WP-Jordan; PB-Lenor; T-1:21; ATT-68