STANDISH – Kasey Farrington still remembered that feeling of disappointment she had while watching the Lee Academy girls celebrate winning last year’s Class D state championship softball game.

The Buckfield pitcher, who was a third baseman on last year’s squad, used that as a little extra motivation when she felt herself wilting a bit in the heat late in Saturday afternoon’s Class D state final rematch at Saint Joseph’s College’s Ward Field.

Farrington escaped back-to-back, bases-loaded jams in the sixth and seventh via her right arm and the fielders behind her as Buckfield avenged last year’s loss with a 3-0 victory over the Pandas.

“I thought we had it last year, but it slipped away from us so this win means so much to us,” said Farrington, who matched a career high with 13 strikeouts. “I’m just glad I could throw it all day today. I pretty much felt good the whole game.

“Around the end, because it was so hot, I was a little tired, but it helped keep me loose.”

Farrington walked five and allowed just two hits while throwing 127 pitches – 75 for strikes.

“It was just my fastball that worked best today,” said Farrington (14-3). “I tried to work the corners with it and not let it go right down the middle.”

Lee coach Ron Weatherbee, whose Pandas finish up a 13-8 season, said his girls had trouble catching up with Farrington’s fastball.

“I didn’t think it would be a big adjustment for us because we’ve seen a few very good throwing pitchers this year already, but it took us awhile to get used to what she was throwing and her location, which was around the corners a lot,” Weatherbee said.

The tables were turned this year as the Pandas hadn’t seen Farrington, but the Bucks remembered Lee starting pitcher Brooke Harris.

“We went up there and struggled against her last year and even though it’s been a year, after we got the first time around in the order, I think we were seeing her a lot better today,” said Buckfield coach Ken Farrington, Kasey’s father. “I’m not saying we hit her very well, but she wasn’t confusing us as much as she did last year.”

Harris (13-8) was the tough-luck loser despite pitching a one-hitter while walking no batters and striking out four. All three runs were unearned.

Buckfield did all its scoring in the fifth and Farrington appropriately enough started things off with a leadoff single to left-center. She then stole second. A strikeout later, Kayla Jordan’s bunt to the left side of the mound was scooped up by Harris, but her throw sailed high over the first baseman, allowing Farrington to score and Jordan to reach second.

Jordan went to third on a groundout and then scored on another infield throwing error, this time at third. No. 9 hitter Brittany Wiley then grounded up the middle, but Harris again had trouble and threw it wildly, resulting in another unearned run.

“When the pitchers are both doing as well as they did today, a couple mistakes is all it takes and that was the difference today,” Weatherbee said.

The Pandas threatened in the sixth inning by loading the bases with one out, but Kasey Farrington retired heart-of-the-order hitters Karin Bird and Aarika Ritchie on back-to-back strikeouts.

In the seventh, Lee again loaded them up – this time with two outs – but Farrington got leadoff hitter Amanda Gifford on a grounder to first to end the game.

“We were at the other end of it this year in that we hadn’t seen her [Farrington] before and had no idea what she was going to throw, so it took us at least one-at bat, and more often two, to get used to what she was throwing,” Weatherbee said. “She really kept us off balance.”

BUCKS 3, PANDAS 0

Lee Academy (13-8) Buckfield (14-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Gifford, 1b 4 0 1 0 Labbe, 3b 3 0 0

Harris, p 3 0 0 0 Hamann, 1b 3 0 0

Bird, ss 3 0 0 0 Neal, ss 3 0 0

Ritchie, c 2 0 0 0 Farrington, p 2 0 0

Houghton, 3b 2 0 0 0 Taylor, pr 0 1 0

McGaw, 2b 3 0 1 0 Henderson, c 3 0 0

Mallett, cf 2 0 0 0 Jordan, lf 1 1 0

Arbo, lf 3 0 0 0 Reuter, rf 2 0 0

Burrill, rf 1 0 0 0 Abbott, cf 2 1 0

Wiley, 2b 2 0 0 0

Totals 23 0 2 0 Totals 21 3 1 0

Lee Academy 000 000 0 – 0

Buckfield 000 030 x – 3

E-Houghton 2, Harris 2; LOB-Lee Academy 7; Buckfield 2; DP-Henderson-Neal; S-Jordan; SB-Ritchie; Farrington

Lee IP H R ER BB SO

Harris (L, 13-8) 6 1 3 0 0 4

Buckfield IP H R ER BB SO

Farrington (W, 14-3) 7 2 0 0 5 13

WP-Farrington; T-1:17; ATT-400 (est.)