SCARBOROUGH – This trip was just for the taste of it – the higher level of competition, the bigger crowds, and the chance to face a more experienced team.

Bangor got all of that in an 8-0 loss to Augusta East in the first round of the state Senior League All-Star Softball tournament at the Peterson Fields Sports Complex Saturday.

“We have all these 13-year-olds, the pitcher [Jamie Wells] is only 13, and that makes a big difference,” said Wells’ father and Bangor coach, Rod Wells, standing with fellow coaches Todd Friendenberg and Bill Kelly after the game. “I thought she did very well, she threw a lost of strikes.”

“The defense was there but [Augusta East] hit the ball over their heads a few times and we bobbled the ball a few times,” Wells added. “Todd knew coming into the game that that was going to be the game right there.”

Bangor was eliminated Sunday in a 15-14 loss to Sanford, which lost to defending state champion Scarborough Saturday 5-1, to get to the losers’ bracket.

Scarborough knocked off Augusta East 4-2 Sunday, and will play the winner of Monday’s Sanford-Augusta East game.

On Saturday, Bangor fell victim to a strong defense and the outstanding pitching of 13-year-old Kahler Dowling.

Dowling, a first-year pitcher, struck out nine and walked three in crafting the three-hitter.

And Augusta East didn’t let her work go to waste, punching out 10 hits and seven RBIs, the majority coming in a five-run fifth inning.

Leading 2-0 after two Bangor errors and Missy Godin’s RBI groundout in the fourth, Augusta East got a big fifth-inning boost from Nikki Bouchard, who capped the inning with a three-RBI triple.

Natasha Jackson’s infield single was followed by a Sara Masse’s bunt single and a Carrie Morin base hit to load the bases.

Kristina O’Neal’s grounder up the middle was scooped up by Bangor shortstop Jessica Lewis, who stepped on second to get Morin, but Jackson raced home for the score.

Kathryn Bridge’s bunt loaded the bases again, but Bangor pitcher Jamie Wells fielded Kristin Sinclair’s bunt and cut down Masse at the plate.

Facing a bases-loaded, two-out situation, Godin collected her second RBI of the day with a single that brought Bouchard to the plate.

Bouchard, who warmed up in the fourth inning with a single, took Wells’ 3-2 offering deep to right field to boost Augusta East to a 7-0 lead.

“We had been struggling with our hitting, and when you’re struggling hitting you’ve got to do something,” Augusta East manager Ray Jacques said. “You do a slap bunt, a punch, you do whatever you have to do to get them in the game.

“But they’re so smart in bunting and baserunning that they get themselves out of holes like this,” Jacques said of his predominantly 13-year-old team.

Bangor’s best chances came in the fourth and fifth innings when it had baserunners in scoring position but couldn’t convert.

Wells drew a one-out walk in the fourth, and advanced to second on Krystal Dehmlow’s single, which was Bangor’s first hit.

But Dowling got out of the jam, inducing groundouts to third baseman Jackson and second baseman Sinclair to end the danger.

An inning later, Kara Holland then led off with a double to the left-field gap.

Augusta East’s defense again rose to the occasion.

Augusta East 8, Bangor 0

(Saturday’s Game)

Bangor (0-1) Augusta East (1-0)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Pulsifer, c 2 0 0 0 Jackson, 3b 4 1 1 0

Jenkins, c 1 0 0 0 Masse, c 2 1 1 0

Kelly, 2b 2 0 0 0 Morin, ss 3 0 1 0

Wells, p 2 0 1 0 Whitlock, ss 1 0 0 0

Dehmlow, lf 2 0 1 0 O’Neal, 1b 3 2 1 1

Tower, lf 1 0 0 0 Howe, 1b 1 0 1 1

Pinkerton, 3b 2 0 0 0 Bridge, cf 3 2 1 0

Karam, cf 2 0 0 0 Sinclair, 2b 3 1 1 0

McGillicotty, cf 1 0 0 0 Taylor, 2b 0 0 0 0

Holland, rf 2 0 1 0 Godin, lf 3 1 1 2

Strout, rf 1 0 0 0 Redmond, rf 1 0 0 0

Lewis, ss 2 0 0 0 Bouchard, rf 2 0 2 3

Fr’d’nberg, 1b 1 0 0 0 Dowling, p 3 0 0 0

Warner, 1b 1 0 0 0

Totals 22 0 3 0 Totals 29 8 10 7

Bangor 000 000 0 – 0

Augusta East 000 251 x – 8

E – Kelly, Lewis, Pinkerton 2B – Holland 3B – Bouchard LOB – Bangor 4, Augusta East 6 DP – Bouchard to Morin to Jackson SB – Sinclair, Jackson, Howe

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Bangor

Wells (L, 0-1) 6 10 8 6 3 2

Augusta East

Dowling (W, 1-0) 7 3 0 0 3 9

WP – Wells TIME – 1:22 ATTENDANCE – 56