In a game that featured 33 runs, 30 hits and six errors, it was a pair of strikeouts in the top of the seventh inning that finally ended St. Aloysius’ 17-16 win over West Lincoln Friday night at Bazinsky Field.

Judson Gatling, the lone senior and only returning starter from last year’s Class 1A state championship team, struck out West Lincoln’s Jacob Lee and Jeremy Laird with the potential tying run on second base to end the slugfest.

First-year St. Al coach Jacan Warren was elated with the win, even if it took three hours to get.

“We didn’t quit, we kept pushing and we got a call to go our way,” Warren said. “I felt we were the best 0-8 team out there. The tough schedule that we played will pay off for us in division play.”

With the win, the Flashes (2-8) move to 2-0 in Division 7-1A and picked up a season sweep of the Bears.

The inability of the Flashes to hold a lead, a season-long problem, reared its head again. The Flashes were up 15-10 in the sixth inning, when the Bears rallied for six runs, the last four coming with two outs against reliever Carlisle Koestler.

Warren had to pull Koestler and bring in Gatling after the Bears took the lead, 16-15. Gatling pitched all seven innings in Tuesday’s 13-5 win. He induced a pop-up to end the sixth.

The St. Al bats, which had been hot all night, got it going again in the bottom half of the sixth. Matthew Foley led off with a triple. Gatling walked and a balk call — the second of the game against West Lincoln reliever Jay Case — scored Foley to tie the game.

“In the sixth, he lifted his left leg before he touched the rubber and that was a balk,” Warren said. “The one in the seventh, not so much, but we’ll take the call.”

Junior Neal Ricks put St. Al back in the lead at 17-16 when he laced a double to left center to score Gatling. The hit gave Ricks three for the game along with four RBIs.

“I just wanted to make a play to win us the game,” Ricks said. “I just had to make it happen. We just keep scrapping.”

Warren said Ricks has been a key figure as the No. 5 hitter.

“Neal Ricks is definitely not our best hitter, but he is most definitely our most clutch hitter.”

Ricks had a two-run double in the third inning to key a six-run rally that erased a 5-1 Bear lead.

St. Al scored six more in the fourth to go up, 13-7. It was 15-10 after five innings.

The Flashes finished with 17 hits. Every starter had at least one hit. Foley, Gatling, Andrew Collins, Ben Welp, Pat Murphy and Rhett Hasty all had two apiece. Welp drove in three runs while Murphy punched in two. Gatling scored four runs.

West Lincoln had 13 hits against three St. Al pitchers. Jay Case had three hits and drove in four. Jonathan Buckley had a pair of doubles.

ACCS 9, PCA 4

Adams Christian catcher Chris Perry hit two home runs to lead his team to a victory over Porters Chapel. Talbot Buys (2-1) took the loss in four innings of work. Kawayne Gaston had two hits, including a home run, for PCA (10-2).