BANGOR – Jonesport-Beals. The mere mention of the school sparks Mainers’ thoughts of lobstermen, championships and … baseball?

Believe it.

On Wednesday – minus some of the fanfare that follows their basketball success, perhaps – the Royals continued their recent run with another round ball: No. 5 Jonesport-Beals topped No. 7 Deer Isle-Stonington 7-ball: No. 5 Jonesport-Beals topped No. 7 Deer Isle-Stonington 7-5 to win the Eastern Maine Class D title at Mansfield Stadium.

“We try to do a little bit of everything,” senior first baseman Dan Redman said with a grin, alluding to the rich Jonesport-Beals basketball tradition.

For the record, the Royals do a little bit more than a little when it comes to baseball.

Since 1992, when Blaine Steeves took over as coach, the Royals have played in five EM title games. Now they’ve won four.

They’ve also taken home two state championships. Good? Heck, even the hoop team’s “only” won one state and three EM crowns over that span.

On Wednesday, the Royals got a solid effort from sophomore ace Billy Merchant (six-hitter, seven strikeouts, four walks), some timely hitting and earned a return berth in the state title game.

Jonesport-Beals (13-5) will face Western Maine champ North Yarmouth Academy at 4 p.m. Saturday, also at Mansfield Stadium. The Mariners finish 9-9.

The Royals gave up two runs in the first but got three of their own off the Mariners’ Eric Robbins in the bottom half of the inning.

D.R. Alley had the key blow in that flurry, lashing a two-run single to right that scored Darren Kelley and Dan Redman.

After the Mariners tied at at 3-all on a Daryl Dunham single in the top of the fourth, Jonesport-Beals again took the upper hand.

This time it was Redman who had the big hit, a blast to the warning track that left fielder Dunham was unable to outrun. Two Royals scored to make it 5-3 and Redman scampered home on Alvin Beal’s subsequent single.

Redman said he thought his wind-blown shot was a simple fly ball.

“But then after I saw him keep running back, I said, `Jumpins, that might go,’ ” Redman said.

It didn’t, but the resulting double was good enough for the Royals.

Merchant, meanwhile, proved toughest when he absolutely had to be: First he struck out No. 2 hitter Eric Ray with runners on second and third in the top of the sixth and the Royals leading 6-5.

And in the seventh, after walking one batter and hitting another, he ended the game with another gritty strikeout.

He relied nearly exclusively on his fastball in the late-going.

“I just pretty much focused in on throwing a strike, and I don’t usually throw a very accurate curveball,” Merchant said. “So I was just sticking with stuff I could throw.”

Deer Isle-Stonington coach Darren Eaton was pleased with the performance of his team, which had lost two regular-season games to the Royals in contests shortened by the 10-run rule.

“We honestly felt that if we could keep in the game, keep close, we might be able to steal something later on,” Eaton said.

Leadoff hitter Glen Libby walked three times and scored three runs for Jonesport-Beals while Redman and Beal had two hits apiece.

Andy Bye had two hits for the Mariners.

Royals 7, Mariners 5

Deer Isle-Stonington (9-9) Jonesport-Beals boys (13-5)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Ev. Haskell, ss 4 0 1 0 Libby, cf 1 3 0 0

Ray, 3b 3 1 0 0 D. Kelley, ss 4 1 1 0

Bye, 1b-p 3 1 2 0 Redman, 1b 4 2 2 2

Bolton, cf 3 0 0 0 A. Beal, 3b 3 0 2 2

Weed, c 3 1 1 0 Merchant, p 3 0 0 0

A. Haskell, 2b 2 2 0 0 I. Kelley, lf 3 0 1 0

Er. Haskell, rf 3 0 1 1 Alley, rf 2 0 1 2

Boyce, dh-1b 3 0 0 0 J. Beal, 2b 0 1 0 0

Dunham, lf 2 0 1 1 King, c 3 0 0 0

Totals 26 5 6 2 Totals 23 7 7 6

Deer Isle-Stonington 200 102 0 – 5

Jonesport-Beals 300 301 x – 7

E – Redman, J. Beal 2, Merchant 2B – Ev. Haskell, Er. Haskell; Redman, A. Beal LOB – Deer Isle-Stonington 7, Jonesport-Beals 7 DP – Ray-Bye SB – Ray, Weed 3, Bye; Alley S – D. Kelley

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Deer Isle-Stonington

Robbins (L, 1-5) 4 2/3 6 6 6 7 3

Bye 1 1/3 1 1 1 2 1

Jonesport-Beals

Merchant (W, 7-2) 7 6 5 3 4 7

HBP – Weed by Merchant WP – Robbins PB – King TIME – 1:51 ATTENDANCE – 210 (est.)