CORINTH – Lowell Oyster had just seven hits in 41 at-bats during Central High School’s regular season, but the senior left fielder came up with a clutch single to open the eighth inning.

He continued to third on a two-base error, and scored on Joe Allen’s safety squeeze as the ninth-seeded Red Devils rallied to beat No. 16 Penobscot Valley High School of Howland 6-5 Friday in their Eastern Maine Class C baseball preliminary.

“All I wanted to do was get on base. I was just looking to swing the bat,” said Oyster, whose ground ball single skipped through left fielder Brandon Saucier’s legs.

Allen bunted the next pitch to deliver him.

“I was trying to put it up the first base line,” said Allen, who accomplished the feat.

The thriller was a roller-coaster of emotion dominated by the right arms of Central’s Andy Matulis and Penobscot Valley’s Stu Morin.

The Devils produced what appeared to be all the runs the overpowering Matulis would need in the third when Seth Strout’s infield single, a balk, James Gray’s RBI triple, and a botched relay made it 2-0.

But the Howlers stunned Central with two two-out runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh.

A single, an infield error, and a walk set the stage for Morin’s game-tying two-run ground ball single to center in the sixth.

In the seventh, Cody Thompson’s one-out single and a passed ball prompted Central coach Rob St. Louis to intentionally walk Keith Champion with two outs. Champion was 3-for-3.

But the strategy backfired when Marshall Wakefield belted the next pitch over the left field fence.

“I got a fastball up,” said Matulis.

Central, which had rallied to upend Piscataquis earlier this season after being one out away from becoming a mercy rule victim on three different occasions, answered with three in the bottom of the seventh.

“We knew we could come back,” said Central’s Gray, who followed Strout’s leadoff single through the box with a line drive opposite-field triple down the right field line. He then scored on a passed ball.

Billy Kane then hit a towering fly ball triple to right-center, and he trotted across the plate when Mike Strout followed with a sacrifice fly.

“I love playing with these guys,” said a relieved Matulis, whose mistake to Wakefield didn’t end their season.

Matulis struck out 15 over eight innings while allowing six hits and three walks.

He threw 76 strikes among his 107 pitches.

Morin pitched well in defeat, allowing nine hits and six runs with seven strikeouts and four walks. He threw 132 pitches, 80 for strikes.

Gray’s two triples and two RBIs, Kane’s triple and single, and Seth Strout’s two singles led Central, while Champion was PVHS’ lone repeat hitter with a double and two singles.

Red Devils 6, Howlers 5 (8 inns.)

Penobscot Valley (8-9) Central (11-6)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Artes, ss 4 0 0 0 S. Strout, 2b 4 2 0

Champion, c 3 2 3 0 Gray, 3b 4 2 2

Wakefield, 2b 4 2 1 3 Kane, ss 3 1 0

Sereyko, cf 3 0 0 0 M. Strout, c 2 0 1

Miller, 3b 4 0 0 0 a-Parker 0 0 0

Morin, p 4 0 1 2 Libby, rf 4 0 0

b-Blaisdell 0 0 0 0 Girvan, 1b 1 0 0

Saucier, lf 3 0 0 0 d-A. Allen 0 0 0

L. Pelkey, 1b 3 0 0 0 Matulis, p 4 0 0

S. Pelkey, rf 2 0 0 0 Oyster, lf 3 1 0

Thompson, rf 1 1 1 0 c-Rollins 1 0 0

J. Allen, cf 4 0 1 1

Totals 31 5 6 5 Totals 30 6 9 4

a-ran for M. Strout in the 5th; b-ran for Morin in the 6th; c-struck out for Oyster in the 6th; d-ran for Girvan in the 7th

Penobscot Valley 000 002 30 ? 5

Central 002 000 31 ? 6

E?Girvan 2, Gray; Wakefield, Miller, Saucier LOB?PVHS 5, Central 9; 2B?Champion; 3B?Gray 2, Kane; HR?Wakefield (1); SF?M. Strout; SB?Kane 3, A. Allen

Penobscot Valley IP H R ER BB SO

Morin (L, 5-4) 7 9 6 6 4 7

Central IP H R ER BB SO

Matulis (W, 5-2) 8 6 5 3 3 15

WP?Matulis; HBP?Kane by Morin; BK?Morin; PB?M. Strout, Champion; T?2:05; ATT?110 (est.)