BEATRICE, Neb. - A strange and highly unusual finish to a game which included two separate controversial missed tags at third base helped Beatrice (3-3) pull off a wacky 4-3 win over Hastings (2-1) in a game that needed nine innings to decide on Saturday afternoon at Christensen Field. 

Tied at three in the bottom of the ninth, Darrent Roeder led off the frame with a four-pitch walk against Tucker Synek, who was excellent over four-plus innings in relief for the Tigers. Payton Drake entered and retired the first two men he faced, and it seemed like the game was destined for a third additional inning. 

But that's when the wackiness began. With Roeder on second, three-hole hitter Austin Baldwin hit a grounder to third base, where Carlos Jimenez attempted a couple of times to put a tag on an advancing Roeder, who was ultimately called safe after a couple of tag attempts. Baldwin took advantage of the confusion to advance to second and Hastings intentionally walked Ty Weichel to load the bases with two out. 

Then history repeated: Isaac DeBoer hit a ground ball right back to third. Jimenez first looked towards first base with eyes on throwing out DeBoer but then changed his mind, diving behind to try to tag out Baldwin going to third. Baldwin somehow evaded the tag and got to third base, much to the disbelief of the Tigers, and Roeder crossed home plate as the game-winning run. After two very similar very close calls at third base, the Orangemen had pulled off their third victory of the season. 

Hastings got the scoring started in the top of the first when Elliot Sidlo and Brody Dreher walked, and Jimenez, who had a great start to the day, singled through the left side to make it 2-0 Tigers. The Orangemen eventually countered with a big third inning against starter Ashton Hawes when one run came in on a two-base hit from Baldwin and two runs came in on a one-base hit from Weichel. 

The score remained 3-2 until the sixth, when a leadoff walk from Jimenez turned into the tying run on a sac fly from Clayton Arlt in his first start of the year. Both teams had chances to score again down the stretch, but Baldwin got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and Synek got out of trouble in the eighth thanks to a throwout at third base from Dreher in center field. Finally, the game was decided in an unconventional way in the bottom of the ninth, the second extra-innings contest in as many nights televised by News Channel Nebraska.

Beatrice will next face Seward on Monday and then Fairbury on Tuesday. Hastings will host Central City/Centura on Tuesday.