Mars II's Evan Oswald slides safely across the plate against Mars in Game 1 of the Eagle County Championship Series Thursday at Highfield Park. Mars II leads the game, suspended by darkness, 4-2 in the sixth inning.

BUTLER TWP — Eric King was not shy about placing heavy emphasis on Game 1 of the Eagle County League baseball championship series.

“We are treating it like it’s a must-win,” said Mars II’s player/manager of the first contest of the best-of-five series. “With the pitching Mars has, you can’t fall behind in a series against them.”

The reason King spoke in the present tense is because the game is not over. After a 30-minute rain delay halted play in the bottom of the third inning Thursday, the teams played through the top of the sixth before the action was suspended at Highfield Park due to darkness with Mars II leading 4-2.

The remainder of the game will be played at 6 p.m. today at Highfield.

Mars tallied its two runs just minutes before the suspension. With two outs, Cody Herald doubled home Scott Ventura. Herald then scored on Brendan Malone’s base hit.

Malone, Mars’ player/manager, argued that the sixth inning should have been completed.

“They (umpires) said that they stopped play for the safety of the players, but we had to bat in the top of the sixth and our guys couldn’t see the ball,” he said. “We were just sticking the bat out there. Mars II should have had to bat in the conditions we did.”

Ironically, Mars had better success against Mars II starting pitcher Kevin Vangheluwe as darkness loomed than it did in the previous five innings.

Vangheluwe, a former pitcher at the University of Michigan, shut out Mars on three hits through five frames. His night ended with eight strikeouts and one walk in six innings.

“Mars has a really good lineup,” said King. “Kevin was unreal tonight.”

All four of Mars II’s runs have come without the team tallying an RBI.

King led off the bottom of the third with an infield single, at which point the game was stopped due to heavy rain. When the action resumed, King advanced to second base on Dustin Lalle’s sacrifice bunt. The former would later score on a Mars fielding error.

In the bottom of the fifth, another error allowed Tim Geibel and Ryan Denny to score and Evan Oswald later raced home on a wild pitch.

Mars starter Jimmy Devine lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing the four unearned runs on five hits. Chris Murphy was on the mound for the final two outs of the bottom of the fifth.

Mars II has stranded six runners in the game, including ones at second and third in both the third and fourth innings.