OLD TOWN – Somehow it seemed unfair that the No. 4 Old Town and No. 5 Bangor softball teams had to face each other in a Class A Northeastern division quarterfinal game Tuesday at the high school field here.

With similar records, a matchup of the Penobscot Valley Conference Pitchers of the Year, and close regular seasons the teams were just too evenly matched for one squad to end its season in a quarterfinal. The Indians got past the Rams twice in the regular season, but Bangor had two wins over Brewer, which had beaten Old Town twice.

In the end, it was the PVC Player of the Year who provided the winning margin for the Rams. Megan Huckins’ third-inning triple drove in two runs en route to a 3-1 win.

Bangor, now 13-4, will play the winner of Tuesday’s division quarterfinal between No. 9 Hampden and No. 1 Lawrence of Fairfield. Lawrence eliminated the Rams in a semifinal last year.

Old Town finishes at 13-4.

“It’s too bad that two quality teams have to meet this early,” Bangor coach Lisa Richards said. “A good team’s going home early, and it shouldn’t happen. Old Town’s a good team, and we knew it was going to be a battle every single time we play.”

Pitchers Jen Jimmo of Bangor and Sarah Metivier of Old Town each gave up five hits and struck out five.

Huckins erased a 1-1 tie with her triple. She drove a 3-2 pitch over the head of Indian first baseman Megan Swandal, and the ball rolled down the right-field line.

“We did the job,” Huckins said. “That’s what we had to do. We had to get the hits early, and we did.”

Jimmo opened the inning with a walk, and she advanced to second on a Rachael Dube single. Both girls scampered home on the triple.

The Old Town defense recovered quickly, however, and quelled what could have become a huge inning for the Rams. Huckins was thrown out at home trying to advance on a fielder’s choice by Steph Chase, and the Indians got Chase at second as she was running on Shelby Soohey’s fielder’s choice.

Metivier got a strikeout to end the threat. From that point she allowed just one more hit.

“We clawed back out of trouble a couple of times,” Old Town coach Mike Thurston said. “The score could have been worse. I’m proud of my kids, and I’m proud of Lisa’s kids.”

Jimmo scattered three hits after the Rams gained the lead, including a double each for Renee Thibodeau and Emelie Richard.

“It was a team win. I just pitched,” Jimmo said. “We mixed it around a lot, threw a lot outside and low and they seemed to bite at that.”

The Rams scored in the first when a Huckins single plated Megan Chase.

The Indians responded in the bottom of the inning. Jill Ouellette hit a leadoff double, got to third on a passed ball, and scored on a Thibodeau sacrifice fly.

Old Town had at least one baserunner in each of the next five innings but couldn’t rally.

TRAMS 3, INDIANS 1

Bangor (13-4) Old Town (13-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

M. Chase, rf 3 1 0 0 Ouellette, cf 3 1 0

Jimmo, p 3 1 0 0 Thibodeau, 2b 2 0 1

Dube, c 3 1 1 0 Paul, ss 3 0 0

Huckins, 1b 3 0 2 3 King, c 3 0 0 0

S. Chase, lf 3 0 1 0 Jones, dh 3 0 0

Soohey, dh 3 0 0 0 Sherman, rf 3 0 0

Whitney, 3b 0 0 0 0 Saucier, 3b 3 0 0

Smith, cf 3 0 0 0 Garrity, lf 2 0 0

Wright, 2b 3 0 1 0 a-Hussey 1 0 0

Tower, ss 1 0 0 0 Swandal, 1b 1 0 0

b-Richard 1 0 1 0

Totals 25 3 5 3 Totals 25 1 5 1

a-struck out for Garrity in the fifth; b-doubled for Swandal in the fifth

Bangor 102 000 0?3

Old Town 100 000 0?1

E?Smith, Tower; Paul; LOB?Bangor 6, Old Town 4; 2B?Richard, Ouellette, Thibodeau; 3B?Huckins; DP?Wright-Huckins; S?M. Chase; SF?Thibodeau; SB?Sherman

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Jimmo (W, 9-2) 7 5 1 0 0 5

Old Town IP H R ER BB SO

Metivier (L, 10-4) 7 5 3 2 2 5

HBP?Tower by Metivier; PB?Dube; King; T?1:24; ATT?150 (est.)