EASTON - Taking a two-run lead, rallying from a four-run deficit, regaining the lead, squandering the lead... it was a rollercoaster of a ride for the South Attleboro American Legion Post 312 baseball team Monday at Frothingham Park.

A ride which will, unfortunately, take Post 312 back to Beach Field on the campus of Bishop Feehan High Schoool tonight at 5, for the decisive third game of the Zone 9 quarterfinal-round series.

That's because sixth-seeded Easton (12-13-1) used five hits to score three sixth-inning runs to erase a 7-6 deficit and force a showdown against South Attleboro, Easton winning 9-7.

Easton tattoed North Attleboro High's Mike Mancini (six runs on six hits over two innings) and reliever Greg Dusel (nine hits), having runners on base in every inning but the fourth, stranding nine baserunners, too.

Dusel, however, deserved a batter fate before tiring in the sixth inning, yielding the game-tying RBI-single to Andy Bloom and the game-winning two-run single to Mike Holmes - both with two outs. Dusel had blanked Easton through the third, fourth and fifth innings. He stranded a runner at third base in the fourth and got out of a potential jam in the sixth when Bishop Feehan product Lucas Gagne threw out an Easton runner at the plate on a relay from right field (after a single by Matt Maloff) to catcher James Kelly.

"That 7-6 lead was looking nice," sighed South Attleboro manager John Pelland after Post 312 had regained the lead in the fifth inning when Dusel reached base on a two-out infield single, stole second base and scored on a single into left field off the bat of Brent Burns. "Our pitchers struggled a bit. We're just going to have to have guys step up at home for us," added Pelland.

South Attleboro rallied for four runs in the fourth inning on four hits, including a three-run double to left center field by Gagne, to knot the score at 6-6.

Post 312 had taken a two-run lead atop the first inning on three hits, including an RBI-single from Greg Najarian and a run-producing sacrifice flyball off of the bat of Matt Boulter.

However, Easton touched Mancini for two runs on two hits in the first inning, one of which was a two-run triple by Bloom. Then Easton smacked four hits - all with two outs - in the second inning, including a three-run double by Justin Holmes to take the lead.

And yet, South Attleboro had the tying run at the plate twice in the seventh inning against recent Oliver Ames High lefthander Mike Holmes, headed for Eastern Connecticut State. Najarian hammered a one-out triple into left field, his second hit of the game, but Holmes notched strikeout No. 8 for the second out and got an infield roller for the game-clincher.

Post 312 only once, in the third when Lonny Bornstein was hit by a pitcher, had a leadoff batter on base.

The lone two walks that Holmes surrendered - back-to-back passes to Dusel and Burns - in the fourth inning helped South Attleboro create its game-tying runs. Kelly stroked a one-out single, then with the bases-loaded, Paul Piatelli poked an RBI-single into center field and Gagne followed with his three-run double.