MOBILE, Ala. - Zach Grichor's RBI double broke a 12-12 tie, and the Blue team added two crucial insurance runs, then stranded the potential tying run at third base in a wild 15-14 win Thursday night at Stanky Field. With the win, the Blue team holds a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series.

Though the game was scheduled for seven innings, and eighth inning was necessary with the score tied 12-12 after seven. After the Blue team plated three runs in the top of the eighth, the Red team mounted a two-out rally of its own, but Lance Baxter came in to face a bases-loaded jam with a one-run lead and induced a game-ending groundout from Derek O'Reilly.

The two teams combined for seven home runs, 21 extra-base hits and 75 total bases in the slugfest. Jake Overstreet, Stuart Barton and Sean Laird went deep for the Blue team, while Derek O'Reilly and Nathaniel Lami homered once and Tyler Vick went yard twice for the Red squad.

In a sign of things to come, 10 runs crossed the plate in the first inning. Taylor White opened the game with a triple, then came home on a Clint Reynolds double. Zach Grichor followed with a single before Overstreet completed the team cycle with a three-run homer. Three batters later Barton knocked a two-run homer that put the Blue team ahead 6-0 against Red team starting pitcher Eric Walters.

Though Travis Corley had a six-run lead before delivering his first pitch of the game for the Blue team, he struggled early. Lami led off with a solo homer, and three batters later Vick connected on his first of two home runs, a two-run shot. Nolan Earley doubled and Brent Mitchell brought him home with a RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-4.

Walters settled down a worked around a pair of singles in a scoreless second, and the Red team put up another four-spot to take an 8-6 lead after two innings. Lami reached on an error leading off the bottom of the second, then Dominic Diaz singled and Adam Heisler walked to load the bases, setting up Vick's second homer, a Grand Slam that nearly cleared the scoreboard in left field.

Corley retired the next three batters in order to get out of the inning, but his day was complete after allowing eight runs in two innings. Walters would only get one more out before turning the ball over the Shane LeBlanc after allowing 10 runs in 2.1 innings.

The Blue team retook the lead with five runs in the top of the third. Hunt Griffith drove in the first run with an infield single, the White doubled in a run, ending Walters' day. Reynolds followed with a two-run double and Overstreet gave the Blue an 11-8 lead with a RBI double.

LeBlanc would face only one batter above the minimum over the next three innings, but the one came when Sean Laird connected on a solo home run in the top of the sixth.

Meanwhile, the Red team chipped away at the deficit with single runs in the fourth and fifth against reliever Conner Reese. Adam Heisler scored in the fourth after reaching on a one-out double, and O'Reilly led off the fifth with a solo homer. One out later, Reese turned the ball over to Jake LeBlanc after allowing two runs in 2.1 innings. LeBlanc worked his way out of the fifth, but ran into trouble in the sixth.

Heisler, Brent Tanner and Earley connected on back-to-back-to-back doubles leading off the sixth, and the Red team called on Michael Raia out of the bullpen. Raia allowed only one of two inherited runners to score, and despite another double - this time from Kyle Dees - he kept the Red team from breaking the 12-12 tie.

Phillip Byrd came out of the Red team bullpen to start the seventh and worked a 1-2-3 inning, but Raia worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom half of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.

Reynolds walked leading off the top of the eighth, stole second base and came around to score on Grichor's double. Carlton Paris came on in relief of Byrd to face Overstreet, who reached on an error after attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Grichor scored on the play, and after a wild pitch moved Overstreet to third, Brad Hammac plated what would turn out to be the deciding run with a sacrifice fly.

Raia came back out to work the bottom of the eighth, but Dees led off with a single. Still, Raia looked like he would finish the game after getting two quick outs, but Heisler delivered his third double of the game to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Tanner drove in a pair of runs with a single that cut the deficit to one, Earley singled and Mitchell was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Baxter came in from the bullpen to try to get the final out. He quickly got ahead 0-2 against O'Reilly, and after working the count to 2-2, O'Reilly hit a soft grounder off the end of the bat to first base to end the game.

Raia got the win after allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Baxter notched the save, and Phillip Byrd took the loss.

Vick left the game with an injury in the fourth inning, but he went 2-for-2 with a pair of homers and six RBI for the Red team. Heisler reached base in all six trips to the plate and scored five times in a 4-for-4 effort, while Tanner and Earley each added three of the Red team's 20 hits.

Reynolds reached base in all five plate appearances and went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs for the Blue team. He has doubled twice in all three games of the Red & Blue World Series. Grichor and Barton each added three hits, while Overstreet contributed a team-high four RBI.

All 18 starters recorded at least one hit, while 16 of 18 scored a run and 15 players collected RBI. Each of the first three games of the Red & Blue has been decided by one run.

The series resumes with game four at 10 a.m. Saturday at Stanky Field. D.D. Hanks is expected to start on the mound for the Red team, while Baxter is a possible starter on the Blue side.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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