For five straight innings on Tuesday, RailRiders pitchers held a potent Jacksonville lineup without a hit.
With the sight of a league championship on the horizon in the ninth, it nearly fell apart.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre recovered from blowing a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth as J.C. Escarra delivered an RBI double in the 10th to give the RailRiders a 5-4 victory in Game 1 of the International League Championship Series.
The host Jumbo Shrimp erased a 4-2 deficit and nearly ended the game there before Scranton/Wilkes-Barre survived, allowing Escarra to lead off extra innings with a double to score Andrew Velazquez, who started the frame on second base.
After a tense ninth for the bullpen, Ian Hamilton calmed things down in the 10th, striking out the side to seal the victory. In