JAY — Each time the Spruce Mountain Phoenix built a lead against Maranacook, the Black Bears found a way to rally. With Spruce Mountain clinging to a two-run advantage entering the seventh, that trend continued and those final three outs proved elusive.

“We felt good going into that last inning,” Spruce Mountain coach Clint Brooks said. “You always want to get that extra run. We had it. We felt good. We just needed to get outs and not worry about base runners. Then the inning opened up.”

Maranacook had one last rally in them and scored six runs in the seventh, taking advantage of a pair of Phoenix errors in the infield. The Black Bears then nixed the Phoenix’ hopes for a comeback in the bottom of the inning to earn a 12-8 victory.

“I thought we showed a little character with that,” Maranacook coach Don Beckwith said. “We came out and played and didn’t beat ourselves. We didn’t make a lot of errors. I thought they hit the ball very well.”

Justice Merrill drove in four runs with three hits. Two of her RBIs came on a two-out double in the seventh that tied the game. Amber Ridlon drove in three runs with two hits while Kaitlin Chick and Tabby Tlumac each delivered two-run hits in the seventh. Chick’s hit broke the tie and Tlumac padded the lead. Leah Poulin added three hits for the Black Bears.

“A two-out rally is what we always think,” said Ridlon, a senior first baseman. “We always want to keep it going no matter what. If we can come out with a win like this, it’s always pretty good.”

Spruce Mountain (0-2) got four hits and three runs scored from Patty Ryan. Emily Keene had three hits and drove in two runs. Kailee Newcomb, Kaylee Leclerc and Emily Hogan each had a pair of hits for the Phoenix.

“We have a lot of young kids this year,” Brooks said. “We told them that mistakes are part of the game. We understand that. It’s magnified when it happens in that situation because then it opens up a big inning. You’ve got to make plays and they know that. We’re working in that direction.”

Maranacook (1-0) had taken a 6-5 lead in the top of the sixth. Ridlon doubled in a run and later scored on a wild pitch. Spruce Mountain answered in the bottom of the inning. Patty Ryan scored on an error on a grounder by Grace Ryan. Then Keene singled in Newcomb for the lead. Grace Ryan later scored on a wild pitch for the 8-6 advantage.

In the seventh, after a quick out, pitcher Paige Costa singled. Erin Bonenfant then reached on an error. After pitcher Alex Bessey got the second out with a strikeout, Merrill delivered a two-run double that tied it. Elise Linton followed with a walk and Ridlon reached on an error of a grounder that could have ended the inning. Chick followed with a two-run single. Then Tlumac drove in a pair herself for the 12-8 lead.

“We’re kind of known for that,” Ridlon said. “Last year, we had a lot of games where we were so far behind, and we rallied back. It takes one swing of the bat and we’re gone. We’re off to the races.”

Spruce Mountain threatened in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Patty Ryan and Newcomb each singled, but the game was ended when Costa summoned up a ground ball.

“She’s just a sophomore,” said Beckwith, who had a number of starters missing because of vacation plans. “She made the pitches that she had to.”

Spruce Mountain left nine runners in scoring position and even lost a run because of an interference call that would have made it 4-0 early.

“They had key hits at the right time,” Brooks said. “We put some runs on the board but we also had times where we had runners in scoring position and didn’t get them across. Those are things you look back at when it’s over. Those are the things you’d like to have had.”

Pitchers Costa and Bessey battled the cold temperatures and a blustery wind.  The two clubs combined for 27 hits.

The Phoenix built a 3-0 lead when Keene singled in a run in the first. Then Newcomb and Leclerc plated runs in the third. Maranacook, which stranded five runners in the first three innings, got four in the fourth to take the lead. Merrill singled home a pair and Ridlon tripled in two runs.

Spruce Mountain tied it in the fourth on a Grace Ryan RBI single. Allison Acritelli singled in a run in the fifth for the 5-4 lead.

“I’m not discouraged,” said Brooks, whose team has allowed 28 runs in two losses to open the season. “I hope the girls understand that mistakes are going to happen. It’s just all part of the game.”

kmills@sunjournal.com