BANGOR – Andy Thomas treated Thursday evening’s game against Bangor High just like any other baseball game.

Just like any other game against the archrival that your squad hasn’t beaten in your three previous varsity seasons.

Just like any other game against a team that has put together a 58-6 record since you’ve been in high school.

Just like any other game in which you’ve been chosen to be the sacrificial lamb … er, starting pitcher … against a school that has made baseball success a spring tradition.

All Thomas did was keep the Rams off balance by mixing a sneaky fastball, sweeping curve, and occasional splitter in a 5-3 Brewer victory at Mansfield Stadium.

OK. Maybe Thomas will admit that the game was a little bit special.

“It’s just a great feeling right now,” Thomas said. “We’ve just got to bounce back and keep playing like that the rest of the year, and we should be all set,” Thomas said.

The Witches earned the win by playing opportunistic offense and gritty defense against the Rams and ace starter Jeremy Karam.

Thomas struck out six and walked four while spinning a six-hitter. He improved to 2-1, while the Witches moved to 3-1.

“I just went out there and tried to keep the ball low, keep the ball outside,” Thomas said.

That’s largely what he did.

Meanwhile, the Witches nicked Karam for a pair of runs in the first on three hits and a walk.

Adam Freeman singled to lead off the game. Andy Thomas followed with a walk, and after Dave Johnson loaded the bases on a chopping infield single, Jeff McIntosh plated two with a sharp single to left.

After the Rams pulled within 2-1 with a first-inning run of their own, Brewer edged out again with a pair of odd runs in a wild third inning.

Johnson got things started by – believe it or not – striking out. By the time catcher Shawn Bouchard retrieved Karam’s wicked curveball from the backstop, Johnson was on his way to second.

McIntosh reached on a throwing error before things got really crazy. Todd Morneault’s bunt was fielded cleanly by Karam but fired into left field to score Johnson. A wild pitch on the next play plated McIntosh.

That made it 4-2, Brewer.

The Witches gave up another in the fourth when Josh McAuliffe reached on an error and eventually scored on Jim Shea’s sacrifice fly.

Brewer sophomore pinch hitter Justin Spencer chased Karam and provided the final run with a monstrous two-out triple to the gap in left-center in the top of the fifth.

“I was expecting a fastball, I was waiting for a fastball, and that’s what I got,” Spencer said.

Bangor, which dropped its second game in a week for the first time in recent memory, dropped to 4-2.

“We’re just playing tight right now,” Bangor coach Bob Kelley said. “We’re not getting timely hits and right now we’re beating ourselves.”

Witches 5, Rams 3

Brewer (3-1) Bangor (4-2)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Freeman, cf 3 1 1 0 Soucie, rf 3 1 2 0

Snell, ss 3 0 0 0 J. Shea, 2b 3 0 0 1

Thomas, p 2 1 1 0 Karam, p-lf 2 1 1 0

D. Johnson, lf 4 1 1 0 C. Shea, 3b 4 0 1 1

McIntosh, dh 3 1 1 2 Chadbourne, dh 3 0 0 0

Doucette, 2b 0 0 0 0 Baird, cf 0 0 0 0

T. Morneault, c 3 0 0 0 Utterback, 1b 3 0 1 1

a-A. Morneault 0 1 0 0 Bouchard, c 3 0 0 0

Hatch, rf 3 0 0 0 J. Johnson, ss 2 0 1 0

Jansen, 1b 2 0 0 0 McAuliffe, lf 3 1 0 0

b-Spencer 1 0 1 1

Largay, 3b 3 0 0 0

Totals 27 5 5 3 Totals 26 3 6 3

a-ran for T. Morneault in the fifth

b-tripled for Jansen in the fifth

Brewer 202 010 0 – 5

Bangor 101 100 0 – 3

E – Snell; C. Shea, Karam 2B – Karam, Utterback, J. Johnson 3B – Spencer; C. Shea LOB – Brewer 7, Bangor 7 DP – Doucette-Snell-Jansen SB – Freeman 2, Snell; Soucie 3 SF – J. Shea

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Brewer

Thomas (W, 2-1) 7 6 3 2 4 6

Bangor

Karam (L, 1-1) 4 2/3 4 5 3 5 9

Dionne 1 2/3 1 0 0 0 0

Brooker 1 0 0 0 0 1

HBP – J. Johnson by Thomas WP – Karam 2 TIME – 2:22 ATTENDANCE – 134