AUGUSTA — The Bangor baseball team can’t wait to be back at Morton Field this weekend.

The third-seeded Rams earned a return trip to Augusta by rallying for a 5-2 win over top-seeded Oxford Hills in the Class A North final Tuesday at the Capital Area Sports Complex.

Bangor (16-3) will take on South champion Gorham (18-1) in the state final at 1 p.m. Saturday. This is Bangor’s first regional title since 2022, and fifth under head coach Dave Morris.

Both Oxford Hills (17-2) losses this season were against Bangor.

The Vikings led 2-1 with two outs in the sixth inning before sophomore Carter Davis walked back-to-back batters. Alex Kearns, who came off the bench to play first base, hit an RBI single to right field to tie the game. Pinch hitter Nick Llerena reached on an infield single, beating the throw with a headfirst slide as the go-ahead run scored.

“I think good things happen when you have some good at-bats, in the first, second, third inning,” Morris said. “They might not produce anything in terms of runs, but when you just have some confidence, you get up there in the last part of the innings, like we did, we were barreling some things up. We just needed to find some holes, and we were fortunate to do that.”

Jonas Gilley’s hit down the right-field line drove in Kearns to make it 4-2. Kearns also drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning for the final run.

Bangor scored all of its runs with two outs.

“Anyone on this team, one through nine, people on the bench, they can all get the job done,” Bangor starting pitcher Matt Turcotte said. “We saw that with two guys off the bench, (not) starting the game, came in and delivered for us. And that’s big reason why we won.”

Turcotte was almost relieved after the third inning, when Oxford Hills scored two runs on back-to-back singles by Cam Pulkinnen and Cavan Finley, and then the Vikings loaded the bases with one out on the Rams’ second error of the frame. The Bangor defense was able to escape a larger deficit with two straight outs, and Turcotte remained in the game.

“I wasn’t afraid at all,” the left-handed senior said. “I mean, they score two against me. I go back out next inning and just do what I do. They didn’t score another one off me. Coach actually wanted to take me out. I looked him right in the eyes and I said, ‘No, you’re not taking me out.’ I go pitch two more (full innings). It was the game that I wanted.”

Turcotte retired seven of the next 10 batters faced before Llerna retired all five batters he faced in relief.

Oxford Hills coach Shane Slicer wondered if his team, became tentative and less aggressive at the plate after taking the lead. He also mentioned Bangor’s speed on the base paths helped the Rams extend innings.

“The wheels fell off a little bit,” Slicer said. “Some close calls, some close plays… I think they just did a good job of capitalizing.”

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Bangor: Matt Turcotte (5 1/3 innings pitched, four hits, one earned run, three walks, five strikeouts), Nick Llerena (1 2/3 innins pitched, four strikeouts; 1 for 2, RBI), Ethan Sproul (two walks, two runs), Alex Kearns (1 for 1, walk, two RBI), Owen Glanville-True (1 for 2, RBI, run)

• Oxford Hills: Carter Davis (5 2/3 innings pitched, five hits, four earned runs, four walks, five strikeouts; 1 for 3, run), Cam Pulkinnen (2/3 innings pitched, one earned run, four walks, strikeout; 1 for 4, RBI), Finley Cavers (1 for 4, RBI), Gunner Truman (1 for 4, run)