CRANBERRY TWP — It took two days to play but only one inning to decide.

Chet Shaffer stroked an RBI single in the top of the 10th inning to give Mars II a 3-2 victory over Cranberry Township in the third and deciding game of their Eagle County League first-round series.

With the win, Mars II (17-14-1) will face Mars I in the best-of-five semifinal round at 6 p.m. Monday at Marburger Field.

Shaffer's hit was the fourth consecutive single Mars II had posted after one out off reliever Bill Stehle.

The game was halted by darkness after nine innings Thursday.

"We've all been playing together since we were 9 years old," said Mars II manager Josh Rape. "Chet always got that clutch hit in clutch situations. We expect him to do that."

With one out, Ryan Leonberg smacked his third single of the game, then Matt Rovnan followed with an infield single.

Derec Ciafre also recorded his third hit of the game, a slow-rolling grounder that beat a fielder's choice play at second base to load the bases.

Shaffer then lined a hard single to left field to score Leonberg.

Stehle, who pitched the final two innings Thursday, avoided further damage when he fanned Anthony Ciafre and Brian Hart grounded into a fielder's choice.

In the bottom of the 10th, Brian Hart, who had pitched the final 1X\c innings Thursday, retired Cranberry Township (21-12) to clinch the series.

"It's the first team that scores that gets that advantage," said Cranberry Township manager Bill Clinefelter. "We had hoped to put things together.

"I thought we had a little more momentum (Thursday). We squandered opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings," Clinefelter added.

Both teams had chances in the two extra frames Thursday, but neither squad could plate the winning run on the soggy field.

Friday morning's rain made the field just as soggy, but it was still playable.

"I was a little nervous looking at the infield," said Rape. "Anything can happen. At least we got one run. We didn't get another, but all that matters is we get ready for the next round."

"To put it in perspective, we had a good year," said Clinefelter, whose team won 20-plus games for the first time. "You feel bad, but then you don't feel bad. We just needed to score more runs. A little more timely hitting would have made a difference."

Notes: Scott Jordan of Mars II threw 7Z\c innings on Thursday with three strikeouts and two walks while Justin Papania threw seven innings for Cranberry Township Thursday with seven strikeouts and two walks. ... The four hits Mars had in Friday's 10th inning was half of its total from the nine innings Thursday.

Mars II 020 000 000 1 — 3 12 1Cranberry Twp. 010 010 000 0 — 2 9 0W: Brian Hart (2 2/3 IP) 2 K, 0 BB.

L: Bill Stehle (3 IP) 2 K, 2 BB.

Mars (17-14-1): Brian Hart 2-1B; Josh Rape 1B; John Crummy 1B; Ryan Leonberg 3-1B; Matt Rovnan 1B; Derec Ciafre 3-1B, RBI; Chet Shaffer 1B, 2 RBI;

Cranberry Twp. (21-12): Justin Papania 2-1B; Keith Kubit 1B; Hugh Mulvey 1B; Bill Clinefelter 1B, RBI; Ben Follett 1B, 2B; Bill Stehle 2-1B, RBI

Monday: Semifinal round: Game 1: Mars II at Mars I, Marburger Field, 6 p.m.