The Santa Ynez-Santa Maria Ocean League baseball game ended with a 9-9 tie at dusk on a sweltering Tuesday at Santa Maria.

The Santa Maria ballpark has no lights, and umpires called the game after eight innings because of darkness. The result left the visiting Pirates 6-1-1, 0-0-1 and the Saints 1-3-1, 0-1-1.

“The umpires absolutely made the right decision to call the game after eight innings, said Santa Maria coach Matt Almaguer. “I was surprised they didn’t call it after seven.” Regulation length for high school baseball games is seven innings.

Santa Maria, from 8-4 down in regulation then 9-8 down in the ninth, rallied twice to salvage the tie.

Bryce Alejo sprinted home from first base on a throwing error for the last run of the game. The throw from third base was nowhere near the first base bag as Josh Calderon legged out an infield single. Alejo kept going after rounding second base, and he beat the off-line throw home easily.

“I saw the (third base) coach waving me around, and there was no way I was slowing down,” Alejo said.

Santa Ynez second baseman Daniel Acquistapace caught a one-out line drive off the bat of Andrew Rice then threw to third base to double off Calderon for the last out.

Still, “I’m very happy with (the tie), the way we came back,” said Alejo. “There’s no quit in this team. We keep fighting.”

Santa Ynez starting catcher Jaxon Glover was the last of three pitchers the Pirates used in the sixth inning. He finished on the mound for Santa Ynez. At the plate, Glover drove in Santa Ynez starting pitcher Tristin Jeckell with a single to put the Pirates up 9-8 in the eighth.

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Defense let both teams down late. The last run the Pirates scored was unearned. So were the last five the Saints tallied. Behind 8-4, Santa Maria scored two runs on no hits in the sixth.

Jeckell pitched into the sixth inning and allowed just three hits. However, a bases-clearing Rice double to left in the second inning and an RBI single by the next batter, Martin, were among the three hits Jeckell yielded.

The Pirates tagged Martin for six straight hits, the last five of which scored runs, in the fifth. Aquistapace stroked a two-run double to snap a 4-all tie. Elijah Roberts doubled home Acquistapace with the last Pirates run of the inning.

Glover and Jeckell both went 4-for-5. Glover drove in three runs, and Jeckell drove in two.

Almaguer said his team is just hitting its stride. Some of his players joined the team late because they played for the Santa Maria basketball team that lost in the CIF Central Section Division 5 final.

“Four of our players, the Medina twins, Alex Ybarra and Bryce Alejo, played for that team,” said Almaguer.

“After (being short-handed) the first two weeks, we’re starting to get that unity.” Jordan Medina is Julius Medina’s identical twin brother.

“We lost two starters from last year,” said Alejo. “We’re confident our experience will carry us a long way this year.” The Saints made it to the playoffs last year, losing in the first round at crosstown rival Pioneer Valley.

Santa Ynez and Santa Maria will both play road league games Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Santa Ynez will face Pioneer Valley. Santa Maria will take on Nipomo.