ORONO – Elmira Pioneers designated hitter Alex Marconi didn’t expect to see anything in the strike zone when he fell behind in the count 0-2 against Bangor Lumberjacks ace reliever Jeff Sparks. There were runners on first and second and one out with his team trailing 6-5 in the top of the ninth.

But he got a pitch to hit and grounded a single into center off the glove of Lumberjacks shortstop Sandy Martinez to tie the game and set up Rolando Bello’s game-winning sacrifice fly as Elmira rallied for a 7-6 Northeast League win at Mahaney Diamond Tuesday night.

“I was surprised he threw me something I could hit. It was a fastball down and in,” said Marconi whose grounder initially looked like it might produce a game-ending double play.

“The ball took a nice hop for me today,” said Marconi. “I’ll take a hit any way I can get it. I was just looking for a pitch to hit.”

The ball took a big last hop before glancing off Martinez’s glove.

Scott Hunter’s ground-ball single to center off Sparks, who hadn’t allowed an earned run in 22 1/3 innings this season, started the rally.

Brian Jones reached on a bunt single but Sparks made a great play on Ryan Lehr’s sacrifice attempt, nailing Hunter at third while sitting down.

But Marconi followed with his base hit, chasing pinch-runner Jason Baker to third, and Bello atoned for a costly error with his sacrifice fly to right.

Chris McGee came on to pitch a perfect ninth for his eighth save, second most in the league.

The teams will resume their series tonight.

Bangor had taken its first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth when reliever Rentaro Seki hit newcomer Mikaela Dworken on the hand with an 0-2 fastball with the bases loaded.

Lorenzo de la Cruz had opened the inning with a double off third baseman Dennis Abreu’s glove and two walks loaded the bases.

The Lumberjacks overcame 3-0 and 5-3 deficits with three runs in the bottom of the first and two more in the sixth.

The Jacks strung together five straight hits in the first off Northeast League ERA leader Brian Edmondson, who brought an ERA of 1.40 into the game.

Schuyler Doakes bounced a seeing-eye single to right and Martinez delivered him with a double to right center. Martinez failed to slide at third, stumbled off the bag and was tagged out.

Donnie Ross grounded a single to center and de la Cruz belted a towering two-run homer to left off a 3-1 pitch to tie it.

It was de la Cruz’s sixth homer of the season and ninth hit in his last 25 at-bats.

Elmira had taken a three-run lead in the top of the first on a one-out walk to Cleatus Davidson, Scott Hunter’s opposite-field two-run homer to right, another walk and Ryan Lehr’s double over right fielder de la Cruz’s head.

Hunter’s homer off Jacks starter Jerry Long was his sixth of the year.

The Pioneers capitalized on the Jacks’ inability to turn a double play to break the tie in the third inning.

Brian Jones singled to open the third and second baseman Todd Brock’s relay throw to first on Lehr’s grounder to shortstop Sandy Martinez pulled Mark Burke off the first base bag. Singles by Alex Marconi and Ryan Webb (RBI) made it 4-3.

PIONEERS 7, LUMBERJACKS 6

Elmira (7-5) Bangor (7-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Abreu, 3b 5 0 2 0 Doakes, cf 5 1 0

Davidson, ss 4 1 2 0 Martinez, ss 5 0 1

Alvarez, lf 5 0 1 0 Ross, dh 4 2 0

Hunter, rf 5 1 3 2 de la Cruz, rf 5 3 2

Jones, c 4 1 2 0 LeBron, lf 4 0 0

Baker, pr 0 1 0 0 Burke, 1b 3 0 0

Lehr, 1b 5 2 2 1 Brock, 2b-3b 4 0 1

Marconi, dh-c 5 0 2 1 Saunders, 3b-1b 3 0

Bello, 2b 2 1 0 1 Hargreaves, c 3 0 0

Webb, cf 4 0 2 2 Dworken, c 0 0 1

Totals 39 7 16 7 Totals 36 6 11 5

a-ran for Jones in 9th

Elmira 301 010 002 ? 7

Bangor 300 002 010 ? 6

E?Bello, de la Cruz, Hargreaves; LOB?Pioneers 11; Lumberjacks 7; 2B?Lehr, Martinez, de la Cruz; 3B?Webb; HR?Hunter (6), de la Cruz (6); DP?Davidson to Lehr, Davidson to Bello to Lehr; Long to Brock to Burke;SF?Bello; SB?Alvarez

Elmira IP H R ER BB SO

Edmondson 7 10 5 5 1 2

Seki (W, 4-0) 1 1 1 1 2 0

McGee 1 0 0 0 0 1

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Long 4 2/3 10 5 5 5 6

Kalinowski 3 3 0 0 0 3

Thomas 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

Sparks (L, 2-1) 1 3 2 2 0 0

HBP?Dworken by Seki; WP?Seki; T?3:06; ATT?1,003