ORONO — It was a long inning, in the second game of a doubleheader, after a long drive. UMaine-Presque Isle scored four runs, and it felt like 10 times that many.

Yet, when Abby Burdin, UMF’s second pitcher of the inning, finally ended things with a bases-loaded strikeout, UMaine-Farmington coach Amy Jones ran over, gave her a double high-five, and yelled, “That’s the way to get out of the inning!” For Jones, it’s part of the positive atmosphere she wants around the program.

“I’m honestly just proud of the girls for showing up and doing what they did today,” Jones said. “I think a little more practice in the gym and then we’ll be all set. But I’m excited, especially just to be able to see the girls in different positions and working together.”

Big deal, you might say, and maybe it isn’t. After all, which coach strives to be negative? What is a big deal is that Jones is in charge of her own program. An Augusta native and Cony High School grad, Jones was UMF’s third baseman last season. She finished her playing career 10 months ago and graduated in December.

Jones’ official title is interim head coach. She was hired after a period of, shall we say, fluidity during the offseason, beginning with the resignation of longtime coach Cyndi Pratt.

“Our assistant coach from last year was the head coach, and then he had to resign,” said Maine Central Institute grad Courtney Fowler, the Beavers’ No. 1 pitcher this season. “Then we got a new coach, who I don’t think anyone met. Then we found out that Amy was the head coach. So it’s a lot of transition, but Amy’s done a good job.”

“We definitely talked about it (in the offseason),” UMF senior Hannah Lust said. “Walking in as a senior, it’s a little disheartening at first to realize that we don’t have a coach, and what’s going to happen?

“I think that the most important thing we did was always keep talking about what was going on, and being really supportive. All of us are playing because we love to play, not because of who we play for, and we’re just lucky enough to have Amy still being the coach so that it is fun to still play.”

Jones said she asked several people for advice when she got the job, and she also took some lessons from the recent book, “Finished It: A Team’s Journey to Winning it All” by Cassie Reilly-Boccia. It’s a book about the University of Alabama softball team, and for Jones, it drove home the importance of staying positive.

“That’s pretty much all it is,” Jones said. “Girls have to feel good to play good, and so I am just trying to reinforce that any way I can — obviously give them the criticism/feedback when they need it, but then always leave them on a good note.”

Jones’ first two official games as UMF coach were on Saturday at the Mahaney Dome on the University of Maine campus. It included situations some coaches never have to face. For one thing, balls hit off the roof had to be judged by the umpires as foul balls, outs or home runs. For another, the teams had to be out of the dome by 6:30 p.m., so they shortened the first game to five innings in the hope of playing a full seven in Game Two. (It didn’t work. The second game was called after six innings.)

Jones handled all of this, while also laying the groundwork for what she expected in games and remaining upbeat during UMPI’s 8-3 win in Game Two.

“I think it’s been great,” Fowler said. “For me, at least, the transition’s been pretty easy, because she’s always been a leader. Coming in as a coach, she’s done a great job.”

“I played against Amy for three years in high school — three very competitive years,” said Lust, a Bangor grad. “Then I was fortunate enough to play with her for three more years. It was a really weird situation, but when we heard it was Amy, I couldn’t be more happy than I am right now. She’s really knowledgeable. Playing against her, it’s really obvious that she knows what she’s doing. If she’s not going to be a teammate, I’d like her to be a coach.”

Jones is 23 years old. Like any person in their first year on the job, she’ll make some rookie mistakes. She can’t match the experience of someone like Thomas College’s Terry Parlin, who graduated from UMaine-Farmington about 20 years before Jones was born. But the UMF players have a coach they know, who wants to stay, wants the best for them and definitely knows her softball. After the offseason, that’s better than they could have asked for.

“She’s always going to be competitive, and that’s good,” Lust said. “She has always been a really good leader as a teammate. I think that transition was pretty easy to coach. It’s strange, because a lot of us have played (with) her, but she’s really good at keeping mutual respect going. We’re the same way. It’s good. It’s good right now, and it will be good.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Matt_DiFilippo