BUCKSPORT – John Bapst High School junior center fielder Bryan Snyder has been mired in a recent slump so he has been taking extra batting practice. It paid off with one swing of the bat Friday.

Snyder hit his first career homer in the second inning to give the Crusaders some important breathing room and they rode the combined six-hitter of sophomore lefthander Cole McElwain and junior righthander Andy Tremble to a 4-1 victory over defending Eastern Maine Class B champ Bucksport.

The win sewed up the top seed for the Crusaders, who finished the regular season at 12-4. Bucksport, most likely the second seed, wound up 12-3-1. The Crusaders also gained a measure of revenge after losing to the Bucks 12-9 in the Eastern B semifinals last season and dropping a regular season game in Bangor earlier this season 11-3.

Snyder’s homer made it 4-1 and came on the pitch after Brandon Gray had blooped a single into short right field.

The righthanded-hitting Snyder pulled the ball just inside the left field foul pole.

“It felt good,” said Snyder, who entered the game with a .289 average and no extra-base hits. “He had been throwing first-pitch fastballs for strikes so I was looking for one. He threw it right down the middle. I was worried, though. I thought it was going to go foul.”

McElwain said Snyder’s homer was the turning point in the game.

“That gave us a big emotional lift,” said McElwain, who is now 3-0.

Senior righty Colin Grady, who pitched well in defeat, said Snyder hit an inside fastball “and that team destroys inside fastballs.”

Snyder said he has been concentrating on “hitting line drives” in batting practice to try to pull himself out of his slump.

McElwain, after balking home a first-inning run, was able to pitch his way out of several jams until Tremble came on to get the game’s final two outs after Bucksport loaded the bases.

McElwain and Tremble held the Bucks to a 1-for-12 performance with men in scoring position.

McElwain struck out seven and walked five while allowing six hits. He threw almost exclusively tailing fastballs. He occasionally mixed in a curve that had exceptional late-breaking action.

“I couldn’t control my curve so I went with my fastball and tried to spot it,” said McElwain.

Bucksport junior shortstop Jason Harvey said McElwain “threw really well. He hit his spots pretty well and his fastball had a little bit of a tail on it.”

John Bapst took the lead for good in the first inning.

James Strout singled, stole second and scored on Tremble’s double to left center.

Tremble moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Zev Myerowitz’s groundout.

The Bucks scored their run in the bottom of the first on Warren Chase’s single, two wild pitches, two walks and a balk.

The Bucks had runners on second and third and nobody out in the sixth but a 5-2 fielder’s choice and a double play ended the threat.

In the seventh, a Brian Sullivan single and two walks loaded the bases but Tremble induced Harvey to pop up a 3-1 fastball and struck out Justin Barnes with a 3-2 fastball to end the game and earn his fourth save.

Strout was the game’s lone repeat hitter with a double and two singles. He raised his team-leading average to .463.

Grady, now 0-2, allowed nine hits over six innings with three strikeouts and two walks.

Crusaders 4, Golden Bucks 1

John Bapst (12-4) Bucksport (12-3-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R BI

Strout, 2b 4 1 3 0 Chase, cf 3 1 0

Means, ss 4 0 0 0 Sheehan, 3b 3 0 0

Tremble, rf-p 3 1 1 1 Harvey, ss 3 0

Myerowitz, 1b 4 0 0 1 Barnes, 1b 4 0

Chapman, 3b 3 0 1 0 Boober, c 2 0 0

Gray, c 3 1 1 0 McHale, lf 3 0

Snyder, cf 3 1 1 2 Allard, 2b 3 0 0

Healy, dh 3 0 1 0 Sullivan, dh 2 0 0

Jellison, lf-rf 2 0 1 Nason, rf 3 0 0

McElwain, p-lf 0 0 0 0 a-R. Ames 0 0

Totals 29 4 9 4 Totals 26 1 6 0

a- ran for Sullivan in 7th inning

John Bapst 220 000 0 ? 4

Bucksport 100 000 0 ? 1

E?Sheehan 2, McHale, McElwain, Tremble; LOB?John Bapst 6, Bucksport 8; 2B?Tremble, Strout, Chapman, Healy, Harvey, Barnes; HR?Snyder (1); DP?Means-Myerowitz; Sheehan-Boober-Barnes; SB?Strout

John Bapst IP H R ER BB SO

McElwain (W, 3-0) 61/3 6 1 1 5 7

Tremble (S-4) 2/3 0 0 0 0 1

Bucksport IP H R ER BB SO

Grady (L, 0-2) 6 9 4 4 2 3

WP?Grady 2, McElwain 2; BK?McElwain; T?2:05; ATT?98