Red Barons win with five in 10th

For the fielding, they let Wendell Magee Jr. chase one down.

For the hitting, they waited for Pat Burrell, Darren Burton and Lou Lucca to catch up to fastballs.

Bennett had his best start in a month, Magee ran down what could have been the game-winning flyball in the ninth and Burrell, Burton and Lucca ripped impressive home runs to help the Red Barons to a 10-inning, 8-3 win over the Syracuse SkyChiefs at P&C Stadium.

Syracuse tied the game at 3 with two ninth-inning runs, but a two-run homer by Burton and Lucca's three-run blast in the 10th allowed the Red Barons (73-62) to open a three-game lead in the International League North pennant race. Syracuse (71-66) is tied for second with Pawtucket (71-66), which lost, 8-1, toRochester. Buffalo (68-67) looms five games back.

The Red Barons' magic number for clinching the IL North? Six.

"That tests your character," Red Barons manager Marc Bombard said. "It takes a lot of air out of your sails. You're still alive, but you think the game's in hand and now it's 3-3 and you're fighting for your life now. You've got to gather yourself, go back out and get the best at-bats you can. They certainly did."

Bennett took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but the SkyChiefs tied the game with two runs off Darryl Scott. Scott escaped a bases-loaded situation with a flyball by Andy Thompson, who had homered in the sixth.

The Red Barons pulled it out when Magee singled and Burton followed with a blast to right-center, his 13th this season, off reliever John Hudek (0-2). Billy McMillon doubled before Jim Mann replaced him and got Burrell to pop out, but Torey Lovullo was intentionally walked and Lucca launched a rocket to left-center, his 12th.

"We were kind of flat after they came back and scored," Burton said. "We knew what this game meant, and for them to come back and score, I thought we'd be flat in the 10th."

Bennett was 10-1 over his first 13 starts but went 0-3 in his last five starts, allowing 46 hits and 28 earned runs in 29 innings. Monday night he showed signs of his early-season form, striking out 10, walking two and allowing nine hits in 8 innings.

He left with Jose Cruz on first base and a 3-1 lead with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Scott (7-6) gave up a bloop single to Adam Melhuse that brought Cruz home. Juan Melo and Anthony Sanders singled to load the bases and Rob Mummau followed with a flyball to right-center that Magee tracked down. Melhuse scored, and after Luis Lopez walked, Scott induced Thompson's flyball, ending the inning.

"We got the long ball, timely hitting, pretty good pitching and good defense," Bombard said. "You get those things, you've got better than a 50-50 chance. But that was a great ballgame."

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