BANGOR – Elmira designated hitter Yugi Nerei missed his fourth straight game with a sprained ankle Wednesday night. But the second-year pro from Kanagawa, Japan returned to the lineup Thursday night and wound up the hero.

Nerei’s 340-foot homer to right center off a 1-0 fastball to lead off the 11th inning gave Elmira a 4-3 win over the Bangor Lumberjacks at the Winkin Complex.

Bangor could have taken over first place in the Northeast League’s North Division with a fifth straight win.

“My last at-bat, I struck out on three inside fastballs,” said Nerei. “I had no chance, so I knew it might be inside and I just wanted to hit the ball hard and get on base.”

The win improved the Pioneers to 4-6. Bangor is now 8-3 in second half play.

Jerry Long took the loss for Bangor despite allowing just two hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four batters, but his four walks and one hit batter cost him.

“He’s lost two games up to tonight where two walks ended up scoring,” said Bangor pitching coach Kevin Pincavitch.

Elmira scored first with two runs – one unearned – in the third inning. With one out, Matt Keathing was hit by a pitch and Dytarious Edwards drew a walk. After an infield popup, Jeremy Dodson singled to right, scoring Keathing. Right fielder Jose Garcia’s throw home sailed high and over Brad Hargreaves’ glove, allowing Edwards to score from first.

Bangor erased its deficit and went up by a run with one swing of the bat – specifically the bat of Kazuhiro Kohno as he walloped a 1-0 fastball from Saul Morrison over the scoreboard, about 350 feet out, for a three-run home run with two out in the sixth.

Elmira tied the game (3-3) in the eighth after Cleatus Davidson drew a one-out walk. Reliever Ben Fox retired the next batter on a flyout to right and was replaced by John Boker, who gave up a 2-2 double to Dennis Abreau. Davidson scored, but Abreau was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple on a crisply-executed relay from Garcia to Rolando Bello to Paul Powell.

Donnie Ross led off the bottom of the 11th with a single, but was erased on a double play grounder to second by Mark Burke as Bangor manager Kash Beauchamp decided against sacrificing.

“He’s a veteran, a number five hitter, and a guy who had two singles in the game,” explained Beauchamp. “That’s the risk you take, but it was definitely the right move.”

GAME NOTES – Beauchamp was ejected from the game after going out to the mound to consult with Long in the top of the fourth. Home plate umpire Roberto Augusten came out to tell them to wrap it up, Beauchamp told him he was making a point, and Augusten ejected him. Beauchamp then got in Augusten’s face and, after walking to the dugout, he ran back to home plate and kicked dirt on Augusten as well as the plate before finally leaving.

“I was gone before I knew what was going on. That is the cheapest, weakest ejection I’ve ever experienced,” said Beachamp. “I’m going to talk to the league about it. All I wanted to do was talk to my pitcher and I didn’t get time. I wasn’t arguing anything. I was upset with Jerry, not the umpire.”

PIONEERS 4, LUMBERJACKS 3

(11 innings)

Elmira (4-6) Bangor (8-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Edwards, 2b 4 1 1 0 Garcia, rf 5 0 0

Davidson, ss 4 1 0 0 Hargreaves, c 4 0 0

Dodson, cf 4 0 2 1 Ross, 1b 3 1 0

Abreau, 3b 5 0 1 1 Burke, dh 5 1 0

Nerei, dh 3 1 1 1 Kohno, cf 5 1 3

Checksfield, rf 5 0 2 0 Uchino, ss 4 0

Bryan, lf 5 0 1 0 Martinez, lf 4 0 0

Deck, c 4 0 0 0 Powell, 3b 4 0 0

Keathing, 1b 1 1 0 0 Bello, 2b 4 0 0

Morita, 1b 1 1 0 0

Totals 37 4 8 3 Totals 38 3 7 3

Elmira 002 000 010 01 ? 4

Bangor 000 003 000 00 ? 3

E?Garcia, Powell; LOB?Elmira 8, Bangor 5; 2B?Abreau; HR?Nerei (5); Kohno (5); DP?Elmira 2, Bangor 1; SB?Ross, Hargreaves

Elmira IP H R ER BB SO

Morrison 6 5 3 3 2 10

Constantino 3 1 0 0 1 3

Elfeldt (W, 1-2) 2 1 0 0 0 3

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Long 6 2/3 2 2 1 4 7

Fox 1 0 1 1 1 1

Boker 1 2/3 3 0 0 0 2

Rohlfing (L, 1-3) 2/3 2 1 1 1 1

Huguet 1 1 0 0 1 1

HBP?Keathing (by Long); WP?Fox, Rohlfing; T?3:24; ATT?1,511