WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. – Jacob Marcum’s suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Auburn Suburban to a 3-2 win over Meadville, Penn., in the opening game of the 2004 Senior Little League Baseball Eastern Regional Tournament at Union Field on Friday afternoon.

Marcum squeezed home pinch-runner Adam Loudermilk with the game-winner with no outs in the eighth. Auburn will face Haverstraw, N.Y. on Saturday at 1 p.m. Meadville dropped into the elimination bracket and will face an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m.

“They took us for granted today,” said Auburn Suburban coach Bob Blackman. “We chipped away and chipped away until we tied it in the fifth inning.

“This was a big win. They jumped on us early. Defensively, we were just exceptional.”

Meadville scored twice in the top of the first to jump out to an early lead. Meadville batters came out swinging early, making contact with the first six pitches thrown by Auburn starter David Lutz.

Tim McIntyre opened the inning with a double to right and moved to third on an error. He scored two batters later on a ground out for the first run of the regional. Dan Roncolato followed with a single, stole second and moved to third and scored on a pair of wild pitches to make it a 2-0 game.

Auburn cut the lead in half in the fourth when Kyle Giguere doubled down the left field line with two outs to score Justin Cisziewski and make it a 2-1 game. Auburn tied it in the fifth when a line drive to left field was misplayed into an RBI double for Brady Blackman scoring Lutz to even the score, 2-2.

Lutz earned the win for Auburn, going the distance and allowing two unearned runs, walking five and striking out seven. Roncolato took the loss in relief for Meadville. The extra-inning affair was just the 11th extra-session game in 14 years of regional play at West Deptford and marked just the second time that the opening game of the tournament went extra innings.