ORONO- It took three hours, 52 minutes and 14 innings, but the Bangor Blue Ox finally got a “W” in their home opener.

The Blue Ox outlasted the Rhode Island Tiger Sharks 6-5 in a Tuesday evening marathon here at the Mahaney Diamond.

It was the third consecutive extra-inning game played by the Blue Ox and the win ended a two-game losing skein.

A crowd of 2,258 was on hand at the start of the game, but only 100 stayed until the 14th.

A base hit to shallow left center by Robert “Popeye” Cole on a 2-0 count scored Carlos Mota from third with the winning run.

Mota led off the inning with a double – Bangor’s fifth in the game – and moved to third on Garret Quaintances sacrifice before scoring the first run in the game since the eighth inning.

The win improved Bangor’s record to 4-3 in the North East League. Rhode Island dropped to to 3-5.

Former Red Sox pitcher, Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd started the game for the Ox and pitched five solid innings. Boyd didn’t allow a run while giving up to hits, walking one and striking out five.

Bowd left after throwing 58 pitches and said his arm was a little tender.

Darin Dabalack (2-2) pitched two innings of scoreless releif to notch the win. The righthander allowed just one hit and two walks, and pitched out of two consecutive jams in which the Tiger Sarks put runners on second with less than two outs.

Dabalack had lost the Ox last game on Sunday night when he gave up four runs, including a balk which forced in the winning run for Albany.

“That’s why we put him there, so he could the monkey off his back,” Phillips said.

Dabalack followed Steve Maddock, who threw 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing three hits and three walks.

The Blue Ox blew a four run lead in the eighth as the Tigers sent nine batters to the plate.

Two walks and three base hits plated four runs. The most damaging hit came off the bat of right fielder Wes Adams.

Adams, the fourth man to bat in the inning, ripped the first pitch he saw to deep right field for a two-run double.

A three-base error on John Lombardis drive to center by Angelo Cox allowed Adams to score. Brian Mannino’s RBI single to right plated the tying run.

Bangor drew first blood in the first. “Jello” Cox led off with a double, reached third on a wild pitch, and scored on Corey Parkers groundout.

Cox figured prominently in Bangor’s second score as he led off the third with a double and later scored on Chad Whites Groundout.

Bangor put up three runs on Rhode Island starter Andy Kasel in the fourth. After Bangor catcher Carlos Mota reached on an error, three straight singles by Garret Quaintance, Chris Hummell and Cox scored two runs. Lonnie Goldberg’s RBI double to right center plated the third.

Cox went 4-for-5 with three doubles, stole a base and scored twice. Mota and Goldberg each had two steals.

“We’ve played 35 innings the past three games – to lose the games we did and to be right back in the same situation tonight we didn’t take care of things after Denis pitched a great game, but we came back and came out ahead this time,” Goldberg said.

The two teams start a doubleheader tonight at 6.