BLUE HILL -After watching his team strand four runners in the first two innings of Saturday’s 8-1 win over Houlton in their Eastern Maine Class C semifinal, George Stevens Academy baseball coach Dan Kane had two ways to look at things.

Sure, his players missed some scoring opportunities but they were also creating them with regularity. If things continued the way they were going, surely his Eagles would have to break through eventually.

Kane didn’t have to wait long to be proven right as his top-seeded Eagles took advantage of five Houlton errors in the third inning, scoring four runs and forging an insurmountable lead.

The 15-3 Eagles will take on No. 7 Searsport, 14-5, Tuesday in a 3 p.m. regional final at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.

“We were hopeful we could get them to press and thought maybe it was happening after they stranded a bunch of guys early on, but all of a sudden, we made the mistakes and we were the ones pressing,” said Houlton coach Rob Kinens, whose young Shires wind up 11-5. “We only had five kids back that I’d even seen before.

“We had a young nucleus, so we should be back, but we also made those fundamental flaws young teams make and you have to play a near-perfect game against these guys.”

It didn’t help the Shiretowners that they were up against GSA ace Collin Henry, who showed no signs of the flu that sent him home from school early on Friday as he scattered five hits over six innings while notching eight strikeouts and walking no one.

“I got to school and threw up twice, so I went home and rested for the game today,” said Henry.

His decision paid off.

“I always struggle in the first inning. Then I started loosening up and decided I was going to throw as hard as I can. I got stronger, I thought, as the game went on,” said the Eagles’ lefty. “I thought my fastball worked today, even better than my curveball, which is usually my best pitch.”

Henry also led the Eagles at the plate with a double and two singles in four at-bats.

The Eagles’ 12-hit attack was buttressed by No. 7 hitter Dan Hilts (double, single, RBI) and No. 6 hitter Blake Wessel (two singles, RBI).

“We got some opportunities with some walks, but we couldn’t get anyone in,” said Kane. “We have decent hitters up and down our lineup, though and we had some guys get hits today who hadn’t been too hot, so it was good to see.”

Ben Pierce had a double and a single to pace the Shiretowners while Chris Howland’s RBI single in the third scored their lone run.

The Eagles added three runs in the fourth on Harrison Hines’ RBI double, a Wessel single, and Hilts’ double.

EAGLES 8, SHIRETOWNERS 1

Houlton (11-5) George Stevens (15-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Cleary,2b-p 2 0 0 0 Rosenthal,2b-p 3 0 0

McGuire, 2b 0 0 0 0 Cousins, 3b-2b 3 2 0

Howland,lf-2b-p 4 0 1 1 Henry, p-1b 4 0

Lenentine, cf 0 0 0 0 Hines, c 4 2

Hill, ss-p 3 0 0 0 Gallagher,1b-3b 3 1 0

Pierce, p-1b-3b 3 0 2 0 Wessel, ss 4 1

Austin, c 3 0 0 0 Hilts, dh 3 0 1

Brown, 3b-lf 3 0 0 0 Wardwell, rf 0 0 0

Schools, cf-ss 3 0 0 0 Gale, lf 3 0

Pasquarelli, rf 3 1 1 0 Guthrie, lf 0 0

Fitzpatrick, rf 0 0 0 0 Peake, cf 2 0

Lewis, 1b-p 1 0 1 0

Totals 25 1 5 1 Totals 29 8 12 4

Houlton 001 000 0 ? 1

George Stevens 004 310 x ? 8

E?Hill 2, Pierce, Austin, Brown, Cleary; LOB?Houlton 4; GSA 10; 2B?Pierce; Rosenthal, Henry, Hines, Gallagher, Hilts; DP?Houlton 2; S?Lewis; Gallagher; SB?Cousins, Henry, Wessel

Houlton IP H R ER BB SO

Pierce (L,4-3) 3 1/3 8 7 3 2 4

Lewis 0 1 0 0 1 0

Cleary 2/3 2 1 1 1 0

Howland 1 1/3 1 0 0 0 1

Hill 2/3 0 0 0 0 0

George Stevens IP H R ER BB SO

Henry (W,6-1) 6 5 1 1 0 8

Rosenthal 1 0 0 0 0 3

HBP?Cleary by Henry; Cousins by Pierce, Peake by Pierce; WP?Henry; BK?Pierce 2; T?2:05; ATT?200 (est.)