BREWER – If the Lee Academy softball team had any chance of winning the Eastern Maine Class D championship game against Fort Fairfield, the Pandas would have to do what got them there in the first place: hit the ball.

Lee delivered in that respect, and defense helped the Pandas the rest of the way. They pounded out 19 hits en route to a 17-6 victory over the Tigers at Coffin Field.

Lee (15-4) will return to Coffin Field Saturday to meet Western Maine champion Buckfield for the Class D state crown. The game will start at 1 p.m.

It is the second regional championship and third appearance in the regional final for the Lee girls this school year. They also won the EM soccer title but fell short in the Eastern Maine basketball title game.

The regional title is the school’s first in softball.

“It’s awesome. It feels great. To be in three Eastern Maines and have two championships is a great feeling,” said senior Deidra Ham, who smacked a triple and a single, got on base twice more, and racked up three RBIs, three runs and two stolen bases.

The teams were virtual mirror images of each other: offensive-minded, solid defensively, and each featured a slingshot pitcher. In the end, the Pandas got a few more hits, committed fewer errors, and sophomore pitcher Katie Harris allowed fewer baserunners.

“We knew it was going to be the same, same hitting, same pitching, same fielding,” Fort Fairfield senior Terri Lynch said.

Lee didn’t waste time putting runs on the board. The Pandas scored six in the first inning, including a two-run double by Jenna Boulrisse. Fort Fairfield chipped away, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first and one run each in the third and fourth, making it 6-3.

But the Pandas piled on three more in the fourth, three more in the fifth and five in the sixth.

“I knew we would have to hit,” Lee coach Kirk Ritchie said. “[Fort Fairfield has] played tough all year long and even in the last inning I half expected them to score six or seven runs. … We were real fortunate that we got a few runs early and we were able to relax a little.”

Among Lee’s stellar performers:

. Jessie Kuester hit two singles, walked twice, scored twice, stole two bases and drove in a run.

. Brittany Mallett went 3-for-4 with three singles, added an RBI on a sacrifice fly and scored two runs.

. Ashley Linscott was 3-for-5 with three singles, including a two-run single in the seventh.

. Kristen Hersom racked up three singles, scored two runs and drove in a run.

. Desiree MacDonald hit three singles, scored twice and added two RBIs.

The Pandas completed 20 putouts or flyouts against the Tigers. Lee got the leadoff batter out in four of the seven innings and twice threw out a lead runner at second.

“Their fielding was awesome,” Lynch said. “It was more than we could have done.”

Harris walked five and struck out one.

The Tigers have also relied on their offense this year. They managed nine hits off of Harris, but had trouble stringing together hits with runners in scoring position, stranding nine.

Errors hurt, too. The Fort Fairfield defense committed five miscues, and just five of the Lee’s 17 runs were earned.

Brittney Guiou electrified the Fort Fairfield fans with a leadoff inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning. Maranda Butler and Terri Lynch created some sparks in the first inning when they hit back-to-back triples. Lynch drove in Butler, but she was left at third.

Ashlee Bubar, who pitched the Tigers to a 17-3 record this year, struck out three and walked four.

PANDAS 17, TIGERS 6

Lee Academy (15-4) Fort Fairfield (17-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Kuester, 3b 4 2 2 1 Guiou, rf 4 1 1

D. Ham, 2b 5 3 3 3 Bubar, p 4 0 1

Mallett, lf 4 2 3 1 S. Butler, 3b 4 1 0

Pickering, c 4 0 2 1 M. Butler, ss 2 2 1

a-M. Ham 0 1 0 0 Lynch, lf 4 0 1

Harris, p 5 1 0 0 Searles, 1b 2 1 0

b-Bouchard 0 1 0 0 Sayers, cf 4 0 1

Linscott, ss 5 1 3 2 McCrum, 2b 2 0 0

Boulrisse, dh 4 1 1 2 Arato, c 4 0

Gifford, rf 0 0 0 0

c-Cole 0 1 0 0

Hersom, 1b 4 2 3 1

MacDonald, cf 5 2 2 1

Totals 40 17 19 12 Totals 30 6 9 5

a-ran for Pickering in the seventh, b-ran for Harris in the seventh, c-ran for Boulrisse in the fifth

Lee Academy 600 330 5 ? 17

Fort Fairfield 201 101 1 ? 6

E?Pickering, Harris; Bubar, S. Butler, M. Butler, Sayers, McCrum; LOB?Lee 9; Fort Fairfield 10; 2B?Boulrisse; 3B?D. Ham, M. Butler, Lynch; HR?Guiou; S?Hersom; SF?Mallett; SB?D. Ham 2, Kuester 2; Arato

Lee IP H R ER BB SO

Harris (W,15-3) 7 9 6 4 7 1

Fort Fairfield IP H R ER BB SO

Bubar (W,17-3) 7 19 17 5 4 3

WP?Harris; PB?Pickering 2; Arato 2; T?1:43; ATT?350 (est.)