BANGOR, Maine — Acton is a Maine town of 2,447 located on Mousam Lake, 11 miles from Sanford.
It has one store and two restaurants. Actually, the store, the Acton Trading Post, doubles as a restaurant, Willy’s Ale Room.
And has a gas station.
Acton natives and longtime neighbors Jen Jones and Morgan Coleman, who are sophomores on the North Atlantic Conference champion Husson University softball team, said Willy’s Ale Room is more of a bar than a restaurant.
“Willy’s is good. It’s got 60-cent wings or something,” Jones said.
“Every Thursday, I think. I don’t know … check it out,” chuckled Coleman.
According to Coleman, the Acton Trading Post is “awesome.
“You can get anything you’ve ever wanted there,” Coleman said.
“It’s right on the lake. You can bring your boat right up to it,” said Jones.
So what constitutes a lively evening in Acton?
“I don’t even know,” laughed Coleman. “You can go out on a boat in the water.”
“There isn’t one. You have to go somewhere else,” chimed in Jones.
But there is an exception: The Fourth of July.
“They do the fireworks right on the lake. It’s really nice go out on a boat and see the fireworks,” said Jones.
Jones and Coleman have been generating some fireworks of their own at Husson, helping lead the Eagles to their first NCAA Division III tournament berth since 2015.
Jones earned NAC Pitcher of the Year honors and followed that up with five complete games in the NAC tournament which earned her tournament Most Valuable Player accolades. She allowed only four runs and 19 hits in 35 innings with 37 strikeouts and six walks.
She takes a 16-7 record and a 2.44 earned run average into Friday’s 3:30 p.m. NCAA Division III tournament game against host Williams College. She has struck out 160 and walked 40 in 160 1/3 innings. She has 20 complete games in 21 starts.
Coleman, a first baseman-designated hitter, is hitting .316 and is second on the team with 25 runs batted in and four home runs. She has six doubles and a triple and has struck out only eight times in 95 at-bats.
“They have had a huge impact on the team,” said Husson coach Terren Allen. “Jen has led us in the circle and Morgan has provided a huge bat for us.”
“They both bring a great positive attitude to the team,” said Husson senior Casey Heath.
Jones is one of the captains, even though she is only a sophomore.
“Even though she’s only a sophomore, we still look at her for leadership,” said senior Bri Bires. “If you feel down like after you struck out or something, Jen will always say ‘that’s all right, you’ll get another at-bat.”
The pair also supply comic relief.
“They’re hilarious,” said junior right fielder Olivia Smith. “If you need a laugh, go see Jen and Morgan.”
Coleman agreed that her lifelong friend has a keen wit.
“She’s a riot,” said Coleman.
“I have my days,” grinned Jones.
Jones and Coleman grew up two houses away from each other in Acton.
Even though it is a small town, Jones pointed out that there is “a lot of land between the houses. You know everyone but you aren’t crammed into other people’s lives.”
They have been best friends since kindergarten, maybe even before, and always played on the same softball teams.
“Her dad coached us,” Coleman said.
They played together at Sanford High and wound up together at Husson, although they didn’t plan it that way.
Coleman committed to Husson first, saying it reminded her of the “small-town atmosphere” in which she grew up.
“The Husson campus is real small and everybody knows each other and everybody is really friendly,” said Coleman.
Jones said that close-knit feeling is the same on the softball team.
“That’s what’s so good about this team. Everybody is really upbeat. Everyone wants to be here,” Jones said.
Jones said she had Husson “on my radar but it was my last choice. Then when I came up for an overnight visit, I fell in love with it. So I’m the one who gets called the copycat.”
They decided not to room together their freshman year, but they have been roommates this year.
“We decided to stay away our freshman year, that way we could branch out and make new friends,” said Coleman. “But it’s nice living together this year because if one of us has a bad day, we’re right there for each other. It’s like having a part of home with you.”
Coleman and her teammates marvelled at Jones’ performance in the NAC tournament as she pitched five complete games in a little over two days.
“It’s awesome,” beamed Coleman. “She’s always been that way. She was one of our only pitchers in high school. And in travel softball, we’d play three games on a Saturday and up to five on Sunday.”
“It’s a lot of work for her but she powers through and finds a way to make it work,” Heath said.
Jones admitted her tournament pitching workload was demanding.
“I’ve pitched five games before but never with such high stakes,” Jones said.
Once she started tiring in the third game, she tweaked her approach.
“I relied less on my speed and more on my spins. I didn’t try to strike people out as much. I kept the ball low, hit my spots and leaned more on my defense more,” Jones explained.
The Eagles came through, committing only three errors behind her in the tourney.
In the 1-0 elimination-game win over Thomas, Coleman drove in the only run to back her roommate.
The Acton natives will have a lot to talk about on July Fourth while sitting on the boat watching the fireworks on Mousam Lake — especially if they can make some noise in the NCAAs.
And it’s on a Wednesday, so they can grab some wings at Willy’s the next day.
Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news.