SPRING VALLEY — Nine innings of one-run ball from Cal Smith kept the Spring Valley Hawks alive as the game went to extra innings, and Derek Myer sent the Hawks flying out of the dugout with a walk-off single in a 3-2, 10-inning win over the Bay City Bombers on Saturday.

The first four and a half innings were, for the most part quiet, with a handful of threats to score that were ultimately shut down. Things changed in the bottom of the fifth, as Hawks catcher Blaine Guthrie sent a single to left field to pick up the squad’s lone run prior to extra innings.

The Bombers punched right back in the top of the sixth when Tanner Pechacek cracked the ball to right field for an RBI single of his own to tie the game at one.

Smith had worked his way into some jams early, including in the sixth when the Bombers tied the game, but the trust of Manager Erik Thompson boosted his confidence as he continued to deal.

“It makes me feel good that they trust me to keep going after I had a little bit of struggle, and they were willing to keep the ball in my hands,” Smith said.

The tale of the first nine innings was the pitchers’ duel on display. Smith dealt nine innings of one-run ball for Spring Valley, and Bump Ulvenes pitched all 10 innings for Bay City.

In what Thompson called one of the best individual pitching performances in a long time for the Hawks, the 18-year-old pitcher showed why he got the nod as the starter.

“Cal was phenomenal for us,” Thompson said. “We don’t win that game if he doesn’t give us an opportunity to have a chance in our last at-bat.”

In the 10th, Carsten Meyer dunked one the opposite way into right field for the Bombers, but with the bases loaded and one out, no more runs were brought home.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the 10th, Trey Witt singled to left to tie the game 2-2. Smith then stole third base to get the winning run 90 feet away. Myer, who claimed after the game that he had been in a slump, sliced one into right field and the winning run scored. Myer said it felt good to get the team back in the win column, especially avoiding letting a pitching gem go to waste.

“A big sigh of relief,” Myer said. “I’ve had a slump the past couple of games, so that was just a big weight off my shoulders. It’s nice to get the team a win. It’s nice to give [Smith] a win, or at least a no decision, because he doesn’t deserve walking out of here with any of that.”

Hitting the ball to the opposite field is where Thompson said Myer can thrive, and he proved why in the final moments.

“I told him, ‘Derek, when you’re at your best, you’re hitting the ball to right field and right-center,’” Thompson said. “It was good to see him get back to his old self.”

After dropping a game earlier in the weekend to River Falls, Thompson said entering a 10-day break after avoiding a second consecutive loss provides a morale boost to a team that is fighting for a high position in the league standings.

“We go into the break now 7-2 in the league. We’ve got nine games coming up in July, but a nice 10-day break,” Thompson said. “That feels a lot better than obviously if we would have lost that game.”