By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

BUCKFIELD – To see the eyes on Tiffany Dunn’s face light up and the wry smile that her mouth displays, gives you a glimpse of what the Buckfield softball team thinks about today’s regional championship.

“It’s going to be a great game,” said Dunn, the Buckfield catcher. “The whole team is excited. We just want to play a good game.”

There’s probably a twinkle in every player’s eyes as Buckfield gets a shot at the Western D title at Saint Joseph’s College at 3 p.m., when the Bucks face the defending Class D state champs from Richmond.

Buckfield had hoped to have this showdown last year but an unexpected stumble in the semifinals to North Yarmouth ended that opportunity. After splitting with the top-ranked Bobcats (15-2) this year, the No. 2 Bucks (13-4) are primed for this chance.

“There’s a little bit of school rivalry,” said Buckfield coach Ken Farrington. “We’re glad to go down there and go against Richmond, and we’ll see whatever happens that day.”

The Bucks and Bobcats have met in the regional final six times in the past two decades, and Buckfield has won all but the 1994 matchup, including back-to-back regional crowns in 2002 and 2003.

This season, the clubs won on their respective home fields. Buckfield took the first meeting, 5-4 as they combined for 10 hits and 12 errors. In the rematch at Richmond, the Bobcats cranked out 15 hits in an 8-3 victory.

“I think it was just confidence level,” Dunn said of the difference in the two outcomes. “We beat them here on our home field. I think we were really excited. Our confidence level and all our fans were here. Then at their place, it was the same thing for them.”

The Buckfield loss came late in the season when the Bucks were trying to shake off a lull.

“We went into a wicked batting slump halfway through the season,” said Farrington. “Richmond had their best hitting day. They’re a good team and well-coached. You can’t take anything away from them. It’s going to be whoever makes less errors.”

The Bucks feel they’ve emerged from that slump. The bats came to life in the 10-3 semifinal win over Rangeley. The Bucks had 13 hits, with Dunn, Desiree Brackett, Kasey Farrington and Lindsey Neal all having big days at the plate. Brackett allowed six hits in a solid pitching outing.

In a game featuring two veteran teams, two of the top hurlers in Class D and two lineups of potent bats, the game could bring a smile to a number of faces.

“I think we’re out of that (slump), and we’re ready to play Richmond,” said Dunn. “You’ve just got to have confidence. We’re going to go over the books and see what we got for hits. We’ve just got to be prepared.”