BANGOR – Playing aggressively and capitalizing on opportunities have combined to send Brewer to the Senior League World Series.

The Brewer Senior League All-Stars turned a double, wild pitch and two errors into three runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 5-3 victory over Bangor in the District 3 title game at Mansfield Stadium Wednesday night.

With the victory, coach Dave Perry’s club advances to the Senior League World Series in Bangor Aug. 12-18 as the District 3 champ earns a berth as the host team.

The SLWS has been held in Bangor since 2002 and this will be Brewer’s first appearance as Bangor has played in four of the five tourneys with Orono-Veazie earning the 2003 berth.

Kyle O’Connell got the Brewer first started by reaching on an error by pitcher Kyle Savage, and he scored one batter later on a double by Eric White.

After a steal of third by White, a walk by Chase Daniels and Daniels stealing second, White came in to score on a wild pitch by Savage, and Daniels raced around on the same play on an error by catcher Josh Warren.

“That’s what we preach, we preach being aggressive all the time,” Perry said. “If we can take that extra base, we’re going to take it.”

Brewer’s aggressiveness paid off in manufacturing a run in the second. Joe Perry, pinch-running for Matt Helfen, who led off the inning with a single, stole second, advanced to third on Dave McNally’s deep fly ball to center, and scored on an RBI groundout to second by Shawn Murphy, giving Brewer a 4-1 edge.

Bangor trimmed the deficit in half in the fourth, with Chad Kelley singling in Ryan LaRochelle, who had tripled. Bangor got back to within a run in the top half of the sixth, with Jordan Clarke coming home on Zane Gray’s groundout to third.

Brewer tacked on an insurance run in its half of the inning on a bases-loaded single by Billy Bissell.

Bangor had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh, but White got Cox and Clarke to strike out swinging to end the game.

“We stress pitching and defense. That’s what we do,” said Perry, whose pitchers held Bangor to three runs and eight hits while walking only two.

Daniels went three-plus innings, scattering two runs, both earned, and six hits, and didn’t walk a batter.

White, who earned the victory, pitched four strong innings of relief, giving up only one run on two hits while walking two and fanning three.

The character Perry’s team showcased was evident after Bangor forced Wednesday’s game with a 6-5 victory Tuesday night in the double-elimination tourney.

“They’re tough, they came out and they were ready to play tonight,” he said.

The fact that a SLWS berth was on the line added a little extra motivation.

“It means a lot, this is what these kids [have wanted] since the first World Series over here,” Perry said. “It means a lot to them.”

Bangor’s Clarke, who threw a no-hitter in last year’s SLWS, pitched 5 1/3 solid innings, battling a sore shoulder.

“He insisted he could do it, his dad said he was fine, Jordan said he was fine,” Bangor coach Ron St. Pierre said. “He was gutsy, he kept us in the game.”

St. Pierre said that Clarke pulled a muscle in the front of his pitching shoulder during the American Legion season.

Clarke scattered three hits while walking five and striking out five.

Bangor’s miscues were costly, as the team committed four errors and stranded seven baserunners.

“You can’t make errors against a team like Brewer and expect to win,” St. Pierre said. “We did ourselves in when it came to throwing the ball around and not making the right plays.”

BREWER 5, BANGOR 3

(Wednesday Night)

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

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Hackett, cf 3 0 1 0 Bissell, cf 4 0 1

Susi, 2b 3 1 1 0 O’Connell, 2b 4 1 0

Cox, ss 4 0 0 0 White, ss-p 2 1 1

Clarke, 1b-p 4 1 2 1 Daniels, p-ss 2 1 0

LaRochelle, lf-rf 2 1 1 0 Fitzpatrick, rf 3 0

Savage, p-rf 0 0 0 0 Bush, c 2 0 0 0

Kelley, lf 2 0 1 1 Helfen, 1b 1 0 0

Gray, rf-1b-p 3 0 1 1 Joe Perry, pr-3b 0

Warren, c 3 0 0 0 McNally, 3b 2 0 0

McInnis, 3b 3 0 1 0 Josh Perry, lf 0 0 0

Murphy, ph 2 0 0 0

Totals 27 3 8 3 Totals 22 5 4 2

Bangor 100 101 0 – 3

Brewer 310 001 x – 4

E-Clarke, LaRochelle, Warren, Savage; Helfen, McNally; LOB-Brewer 6, Bangor 7; 2B-Clarke, McInnis; White, Fitzpatrick; 3B-LaRochelle; DP-Bissell-O’Connell-Helfen; S-Kelley; Bush; SB-Hackett; White, Daniels

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Savage (L) 1/3 1 3 1 1 0

Clarke 5 1/3 3 2 2 5 5

Gray 1/3 1 0 0 0 0

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Daniels 3 6 2 2 0 1

White (W) 4 2 1 1 2 3

Daniels pitched to two batters in the 4th

WP-Clarke; PB-Warren; T-1:58; ATT-500