STANDISH – With neither pitcher leaving room for error, the Maranacook softball team needed to do something, anything, to get on base and advance runners in Saturday’s Class B state softball championship game.

They tried the bunt.

But with George Stevens Academy pitcher Brooke Keniston on target with most of her pitches and the Eagles’ defense throwing out lead runners, the Black Bears were unable to spark the offense.

So in the bottom of the eighth, with Maryanne Dunn on third base after a booming triple and the state championship game tied, Maranacook co-coaches Ken Martin and Mike Verrill told designated hitter Kristen Sinclair to give it one more try.

This time, Sinclair laid down a bunt that worked, driving in Dunn and lifting the Bears of Readfield to their first Class B state championship with a 4-3 thriller over the Eagles of Blue Hill at St. Joseph College’s Ward Field.

“I had only one chance,” Sinclair said. “I had one chance to do it or not, so I did it. And she came in.”

Maranacook finishes its season with a 17-3 record. Eastern Maine champ George Stevens winds up at 17-3.

“We were right there,” Eagles coach Stormi Wentworth said. “We didn’t make many mistakes. We knew it would be tough, we knew it would be right down to the wire.”

With the Black Bears’ defense faltering in the late innings, Dunn and Sika Stanton came up with big hits on which Maranacook was able to capitalize. Stanton and Dunn accounted for all of the Bears’ runs and five of their nine hits, but at no time were they bigger than in the bottom of the eighth.

After a groundout, Stanton singled to center field and scored on Dunn’s triple to deep right, setting up Sinclair’s bunt.

The Stanton-Dunn combo worked in the seventh as well. Stanton hit a bouncing single to left field and scored from first on a Dunn double to deep center.

Only when Maranacook’s defense broke down was George Stevens able to score. In the sixth inning Jamie Wood reached first on an infield error and advanced to second on one of Dawn Robertson’s three singles.

Another error sent Wood to third and Robertson to second, and Nikki Keniston’s sacrifice fly plated Wood. Pinch runner Shelly Astbury scored on the Black Bears’ third error of the inning.

But the Eagles left runners stranded on first and third when a flyout ended the inning.

Stranded runners was a problem for GSA all game, but pitcher Jill Pruett didn’t give the Eagles many chances. She ended a bases-loaded third inning with a strikeout and in the top of the eighth, after Robertson singled and scored on two errors, Pruett induced consecutive fly-ball outs from the top third of the order with runners on first and second.

“Jill is a battler out there on the mound,” Martin said. “She could have easily been upset, especially with the errors, but she doesn’t show any expression on the mound. We had a lot of key third outs.”

Pruett finished the game with eight strikeouts and two walks. Brooke Keniston struck out five and walked two.

“Brooke threw a lot of rise in the [Eastern Maine] game and she knew that they were scouting her so they were ready for that, but they still didn’t hit her well,” Wentworth said.

Class B softball

Black Bears 4, Eagles 3 (8 inns.)

George Stevens (17-3) Maranacook (17-3)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Haney, 2b 5 0 0 0 Wanser, 2b 4 0 1 0

Harmon, 3b 5 0 1 0 Mason, ss 4 0 0 0

Erland, ss 4 0 1 0 Carey, cf 4 0 0 0

Leclerc, c 3 0 1 0 Stanton, 1b 4 3 3 0

a-Clapp 0 0 0 0 Dunn, c 4 1 2 2

B. Keniston, p 4 0 1 0 Sinclair, dh 4 0 2 1

Wood, cf 4 1 0 0 Pullen, 3b 0 0 0 0

Da. Robrtsn, 1b 4 1 3 0 Pruett, p 2 0 0 0

c-S. Astbury 0 1 0 0 d-Kubicki 0 0 0 0

J. Astbury, rf 3 0 0 0 Masse, lf 2 0 1 0

A. Astbury, lf 2 0 0 0 Ladd, rf 2 0 0 0

N. Keniston, lf 1 0 0 1 b-Bickford 0 0 0 0

Totals 35 3 7 1 Totals 30 4 9 3

a-ran for Leclerc in the third

b-grounded out for Ladd in the fifth

c-scored for Da. Robertson in the sixth

d-ran for Pruett in the sixth

George Stevens Academy 000 020 01 – 3

Maranacook 000 101 02 – 4

E – Haney 2, B. Keniston, A. Astbury; Mason 4, Pruett 2B – Harmon, Erland; Dunn 3B – Dunn LOB – George Stevens 12, Maranacook 7 DP – B. Keniston-Leclerc-Erland SB – Wanser 2, Carey SF – N. Keniston

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

George Stevens

B. Keniston (L,15-3) 8 9 4 2 2 5

Maranacook

Pruett (W, 12-3) 8 7 3 0 2 8

HBP – Leclerc by Pruett PB – Dunn TIME – 1:58 ATTENDANCE – 250 (est.)