LEWISTON – With one swing of the bat, the ice had been broken.

When Nicole Caron drilled a triple in the first inning Tuesday, it was the sign of life the Lewiston softball team needed.

“It was a spark,” said Caron. “Once someone gets a hit, we all start hitting. We’re a team that won’t hit and then one person will hit, and everyone will start hitting.”

The Blue Devils got a single run in the first when Caron subsequently scored, but the match had been lit. Lewiston added three more in the second and six in the third for a convincing 12-1 win over Hampden in an Eastern A preliminary game. Lewiston advances to Thursday’s quarterfinal at third-ranked Brunswick, a team Lewiston has beaten twice.

Seventh-seeded Lewiston (12-5) finished with 12 hits. Caron had three and drove in a pair. Amanda Michaud and Katie Morin each had two hits while Allie Morin drove in four runs with a grand slam in the third.

“We knew they had beaten Brewer,” said Lewiston coach Fred Royer. “We knew they had the capability, and they pitched the girl (Kayla Wass) that beat Brewer. We did make her throw a lot of pitches, and we were patient at the plate.”

Lewiston chased Wass in the third on Morin’s home run to right. Erika Veinote came on in relief. Michaud allowed just four hits and struck out seven.

“I was just pitching,” said Michaud. “I didn’t know if they were a good hitting team or if they couldn’t hit. I was jut pitching as I usually did.”

Caron, the second batter of the game, tripled and scored on an error when she was caught in a rundown. In the second, Ali Coleman scored on a Jess Nadeau fielder’s choice. Later in the inning, Caron followed with a two-run single.

“That took a lot of stress off of me,” said Michaud, making her playoff pitching debut. “I still had to work hard, but I know I’ve got the runs behind me in case anything happens. That made me feel more comfortable.”

In the third, Allie Morin’s homer run to right doubled the lead to 8-0. Caron added an RBI triple, and Kim Bechard’s single scored Caron.

“We watched (Wass), and she didn’t seem overpowering,” said Caron. “We knew we could hit her. We just had to swing. We got the bat on the ball, and it fell into place.”

11th-seeded Hampden (7-10) got its lone run in the fourth when Emily Thompson scored on an error.

“We had some key hits and Amanda Michaud pitched an outstanding game,” said Royer.