BANGOR – Katahdin’s tying run stood at second base, its second at third with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Rangeley pitcher Ben Bliss uncorked a wild pitch that glanced off catcher David Raymond’s glove and skittered to the back stop, plating Cougar second-baseman Kaleb Gallagher from third. Now, the tying run stood 90 feet away.

Conference time.

“We just said, ‘Let’s keep it on the infield,'” Bliss said. “‘We can do this if we pretend like we’re in the backyard just playing around.'”

“We talked about the situation,” Rangeley coach Mark Gordon said. “We made sure everyone knew there were two outs, and not to throw home if we didn’t have to.”

The Lakers didn’t have to.

Katahdin centerfielder Ethan Qualey watched strike three sail down the middle of the plate to end the game, and the Lakers celebrated their first state baseball title with a 3-2 victory over the Cougars at Mansfield Stadium on Saturday.

“When he didn’t swing, it was just like, ‘Wow,'” Bliss said.

It was a fitting end to a tightly-contested affair during which the Cougars (16-2) never led, but the Lakers never led by more than two, thanks in large part to pitching.

Bliss went the distance for Rangeley, allowing just three hits and walking four on 123 pitches.

“He kept us off-balance the whole time,” Katahdin coach Martin McCarthy said. “He was tricky; he did a good job.”

“He always seems to be able to come through in the clutch when we need him,” Gordon said.

McCarthy sent his son, Evan, to the hill for Katahdin. He, too, was in command early. Through four innings, he’d allowed two stray hits and three walks while striking out five.

“You see the four errors up there,” Martin McCarthy said, pointing at the scoreboard in right-center. “That’s the story right there.”

Evan McCarthy’s final line included 130 pitches thrown, three runs allowed (two earned) on seven hits and five walks with six strikeouts.

The Laker struck first in the top of the fifth. Jordan Richard singled, Ross Gordon sent him to second on another base hit and both advanced when Alex Rodway reached on an error behind them, loading the bases.

Evan McCarthy induced a Raymond sacrifice fly, which plated Richard, and two more pop-outs to escape with just the one run against.

The Lakers added another in the sixth on a hit and two errors, but the Cougars managed on of their own in the bottom half of the inning to stay close.

In the top of the seventh, Raymond scampered all the way to third on a throwing error by Katahdin shortstop Andy Kay. He scored on a 3-1 single by Luke Hammond.

Gallagher led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, advanced to second on a blown pickoff attempt and to third on a sacrifice fly by Evan McCarthy. Kay, who’d reached on a walk, took second uncontested to set up second and third with two outs, setting the stage for Bliss’ heroics.