The game was a see-saw match until the very end.

But, after four suspenseful lead changes, the top-seeded Eureka Falcons edged out the Del Norte Grizzlies 7-5 in the winner’s bracket game of the District I American Legion Tournament at Crescent City Friday.

“We didn’t hit the ball as well as we’re capable of, but we kept battling throughout the game,” said Eureka head coach Dale Del Grande. “I have to hand it to Del Norte, though, they played their butts off.”

The Grizzlies fought hard until the end, getting a strong pitching performance from their starter Evan O’Brien who threw seven innings while giving up just five hits.

“I thought Evan threw an awesome game for us,” said Del Norte head coach Eric Enos. “I’m proud of how the entire team played. They could’ve given up at different points, but they kept playing hard.”

Del Norte got on the scoreboard first when Justin Yslas hit a shot over the left-field fence in the second inning.

Teammates Jake McMaster and Jon Enos both followed with singles, setting up Michael Stroupe who hit an RBI single to cap off the rally.

The Eureka bats caught fire in the third when David Del Grande started a four-run rally with a line drive to left, which brought in teammates Justin Hatch and Eli Adams.

By the end of the third, Eureka held a 4-2 lead.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Del Norte scored one run in the sixth and reclaimed the lead in the eighth, capitalizing on two hits and one Falcon defensive error for two runs and a 5-4 advantage.

Eureka came out with a vengeance in the bottom of the eighth, taking back the lead with a three run rally that was capped off by a double to left by Tyler Plummer, which drove in the tying and go-ahead runs.

“I didn’t want to do too much,” Plummer said. “I was just hoping for a fastball and he gave it to me. I did what I could with it.”

Josh Genevro then hit a high sac-fly deep to center, driving in the final run of the game.

Eureka pitchers Mike Wilson and Matt Burwell had respectable showings on the mound, but it was All-State ace Andrew Ayers that stole the show and shut the door in the final two innings of play.

Ayers overpowered batters with his fastball and kept them guessing by mixing in an untouchable curve and changeup.

“That was just Andrew being Andrew,” Dale Del Grande said. “You know with him on the mound he’s mentally capable of taking control and closing the game.”

With the win, the Falcons improved their record to 22-10 and plays the Giants today in the championship game at 11 a.m., while the Grizzlies dropped to 13-20 and were eliminated from the tournament.