BUTLER TWP — The Saxonburg I Eagle County League baseball team was one out away from a Game Two victory Monday night.

Three extra outs, two more runs and almost 23 hours later, the squad was finally able to take a stranglehold on the league championship series.

After Mars scored three runs in the top of the seventh Monday to pull even at 5, the game was suspended because of darkness.

On Tuesday, Saxonburg picked up its bats on the short end of a 6-5 score following Chip Galaska's RBI double that scored Matt Colella for Mars in the top of the eighth inning.

But Saxonburg responded with RBI base hits from Brendan Malone and Phil Butch in the bottom of the frame to give the team a 7-6 win and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Game 3 is today at 6 p.m. at Marburger Field.

Saxonburg's rally began with one out when Mars reliever Rob Arata issued three straight walks to Austin Leffler, Steve Hall and Jeff Foster.

Mars player/coach Rob Fester relieved Arata and struck out Justin Demek on a 3-2 pitch for the second out.

That's when Malone, who did not play Monday, came to the plate and delivered a base hit to center, scoring Leffler to tie the game at six.

"There's no one in this league I'd rather have up in that situation," said Saxonburg coach Dan Cunningham. "(Malone) is one of the best hitters in the league and has been for five years now. Nobody can dispute that."

Cunningham held Hall up at third base instead of sending him for the would-be winning run.

"I know the guys on the bench wanted me to send him," said Cunningham. "But Steve doesn't have the fastest wheels and I didn't want that to be the third out."

Butch assured that nobody would argue with Cunningham's decision, smacking a single past Fester and into center field a few pitches later that scored Hall with the deciding run.

"Monday night, I left here feeling like we had lost," said Cunningham. "You do almost everything right and lead almost the entire game only to have them come back ... and they struck back like we know they can do. Between what happened (Monday) and here (Tuesday), the momentum of this series has turned. It really has.

"So many ups and downs," Cunningham added. "But that's baseball."

Curt Schnur pitched the top of the eighth inning and received the win for Saxonburg.

Arata shouldered the loss.

To win its first league title since 2003, Mars now has to take three straight games from Saxonburg — a tall order, but one Cunningham knows his opponent is capable of pulling off.

"Mars can reel off three straight wins just like that," he said. "We talked to the younger players here after the game. They need to understand the importance of staying focused."

Mars I 001 001 31—6 10 1Saxonburg I 310 010 02—7 8 4WP: Curt Schnur (1 IP) 0 strikeouts, 0 walks.

LP: Rob Arata (Z\c IP) 0 strikeouts, 3 walks

Mars I: Matt Nowaczynski 1B R, Rob Arata 1B R, Mike Sheehy R, Paul Westwood 1B HR 3-RBI R, Greg Reinhart 1B R, Matt Colella 2-1B 2B RBI R, Dan DeMarco 1B, Chip Galaska 2B RBI

Saxonburg I: Phil Butch 2-1B RBI R SB, Sandy Sanderson 2-R, Jason Curry 2-1B HR 3-RBI R, Austin Leffler 1B RBI R, Steve Hall R, Justin Demek HR RBI R, Brendan Malone 1B RBI

Today: Saxonburg I vs. Mars I, Game 3 at 6 p.m. at Marburger Field