CALLERY — Admission was free. The play was priceless.

Mars player/manager RobFester lamented the fans attending Game 3 of the Eagle County League championship series didn't have to pay to see one of the best games he's been involved in during his long career.

He didn't have anything else to lament about, though, as his team scratched out a run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 4-3 win at Callery Field Friday evening.

The victory gave Mars a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series, which swings back to Highfield Park at 6 p.m.Saturday.

And it gave Fester cause to laud the crisply played game.

"The Pirates haven't played a game this good this season," Fester said. "This was better than anything you can see at PNC Park."

The game had everything: strong pitching, clutch hitting, stellar defensive plays, strategy, glee and heartbreak.

Both starting pitchers, Matt Colella for Mars and Derek Blyzwick for Saxonburg, pitched complete games. Both struck out seven and kept the ball in the park at the cozy confines of Callery's bandbox field — with two notable exceptions.

Colella hit a three-run home run in the third inning to give himself and his team a 3-0 lead.

That lead held up until the top of the seventh inning when Curt Schnur hit a three-run home run for Saxonburg to tie the score.

The two teams spent a majority of the extra innings threatening to score, but failing.

Mars scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th as Ryan Salazar led off with a single, moved to second on a single by Matt Nowaczynski and scored later in the inning when Mike Bruno's single to left was bobbled by Sandy Sanderson.

"You hate to lose on an error," said Saxonburg manager Dan Cunningham. "This was a great ballgame. No complaining."

Saxonburg had at least one hit in every inning, but left 13 runners stranded on base. It also hit into three double plays.

"We had three opportunities (after the Schnur home run) and we didn't score," Cunningham said.

Mars threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning, putting runners on the corners with one out.

Saxonburg elected to intentionally walk Colella to get to Mars cleanup hitter Paul Westwood. Blyzwick was able to get Westwood to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and the threat.

"Both pitchers were great. You have to tip your hat to them," Fester said. "(Colella) is clutch. There was no reason to go out there and get him. He wouldn't have come out of the game anyway."

Blyzwick was the hard-luck loser. He limited the potent Mars lineup to just nine hits, eight of which were singles.

"He probably deserved a better outcome," Cunningham said of his hurler. "But that's baseball."

Saxonburg's string of three straight league titles is in jeopardy.

Cunningham's task now is to get his team refocused for Game 4 after the heartbreak of Game 3.

"They'll be ready to play," Cunningham said.

So will Mars, which is just one win away from its first championship since 2003.

"We're not done," Fester said. "(Saxonburg is) not going to quit, fold, go away. They are too good a team to do that."

Saxonburg 000 000300 0—3 12 1Mars 003 000000 1—4 9 2Two out when winning run scoredDerek Blyzwick and Justin Demek; Matt Colella and Dan DeMarco.

W: Colella (7 K, 6 BB).

L: Blyzwick (7 K, 3 BB).

Saxonburg (24-9): Brendan Malone 1B, Sandy Sanderson 1B, Austin Leffler 3B 2-1B, Curt Schnur HR 3-RBI, Aaron Ordy 2B 1B, Steve Hall 2B 1B, Jeff Foster 1B, Adam Milanovich 1B

Mars (29-4): Matt Nowaczynski 2-1B, Mike Bruno 3-1B, Matt Colella HR 3-RBI, Ryan Salazar 1B,Sam Sibeto 2-1B

Saturday: Game 4, Mars vs. Saxonburg at Highfield Park, 6 p.m.