STANDISH – Ally Martin couldn’t help thinking about it. Asleep or awake, playing in a softball championship game dominated her thoughts.

“I was so nervous,” said Buckfield’s freshman third baseman of the days leading up to Wednesday’s Western D final at St. Joseph’s College. “Two days ago, I was talking about it. I was stressed out because of finals and this game. This was always on my mind day and night. Sleeping, I was dreaming about coming here. I got here and my heart was racing. I was so excited. Once I got on the field, I just got right into it.”

A softball championship game isn’t new for the Bucks. The 6-4 extra inning win over Richmond Wednesday was the 12th regional title and third straight, but this year Buckfield has one of its youngest clubs ever. The starting lineup featured two freshmen and three sophomores.

“It’s one of the youngest teams I’ve ever had,” said Bucks coach Ken Farrington. “The whole infield is nothing but freshmen and sophomores. I’ve got three seniors, and when they’re gone, I’m going to have a young team.”

Martin anchored third while fellow freshman Alicia Patrie was at first. Shortstop Ashlee Hamann, second baseman Brittany Wiley and outfielder Melissa Taylor are all sophomores. Only Hamann and Wiley started last year.

In Buckfield, a newcomer may be as green as the outfield grass but that doesn’t change expectations in a program where competing for a title is an annual occurrence. Buckfield has played in the Western D final 19 times and 10 of the last 11 years. That’s a load of tradition and responsibility to follow.

“We’ve got to really step it up,” said Patrie. “It’s really nerve-wracking, but you know what you’ve got to do. If you make a mistake, you just go on and don’t pull yourself down.”

The Bucks meet Bangor Christian Saturday at Coffin Field in Brewer for the 11 a.m. Class D game. It’s a rematch of the 1999 states in which the Bucks won 8-2.

The defending Class D champs advanced thanks to contributions by its younger members. While seniors like Kasey Farrington, Amy Reuter and Alyssa Henderson have played in four straight regional finals and end their careers with a third straight state game, most of the team entered the postseason with limited or no championship experience.

Many were part of the basketball regional championship and loss in the state finals, but many of the sophomores and freshmen had limited duties on a veteran team. In softball, many were taking on more significant roles.

“Freshman sports is softball,” said Martin. “So we wanted it. We came in ready to win. We knew we had to come up to another level to match the seniors. We came in as starters and knew we had to step it up big time.”

It wasn’t an easy adjustment. Players took on new positions and faced greater expectations.

“I was playing different places and wondering where I was going to be playing,” said Patrie. “I played summer ball. So it’s my second season playing first base. It was kind of hard for me, but I knew I had to step it up and try my hardest and show them what I could do.”

Other than the seniors and junior outfielder LeAnn Abbott, only Wiley was in the same position she played in the state game last year. Hamann was at first while Taylor was a courtesy runner in the win over Lee Academy.

Such a younger team didn’t concern the coaching staff too much. The potential was there. It was just a matter of getting them acclimated and comfortable at that level.

“They love the game of softball,” said Ken Farrington. “When the girls love to play softball, they will excel at it if you give them the opportunity. You just let them know you believe in them.”

The seniors provided leadership and encouragement. As the season progressed, the team bonded and comfort level was reached.

“We feel comfortable out here on the softball field,” said Martin. “We just fell right into it and played hard and gave it our all.”

Against Richmond, Martin made a key play that helped nail a Bobcat trying to score at the plate, squelching a Richmond threat. Patrie made a nice defensive play at first for a double play and drove in the second run in the eighth inning. Hamann led off the eighth inning with a single and scored the game-winner. Taylor’s ground out in the fifth drove in a tying run. Wiley reached on an error and scored the tying run on Taylor’s fielder’s choice. Freshman Samantha Jones ran for Farrington as a courtesy runner and scored twice.

“The girls are really supportive of us,” said Martin of the upperclassmen. “They never gave us a hard time. The coaches always kept us going. We all buckled down. We all have a go-get-it attitude. So we just kept pushing and had fun with it.”