Pushed to another game, and then to another half-inning, the Bryan softball team scratched out a run in the bottom of the seventh to beat Leander 6-5 in a playoff elimination game Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Vikings recovered after dropping the middle game of the bi-district series 5-3 earlier Saturday. Bryan (21-12) earned a trip to the area round to face Tomball.

Leander (19-11) put a couple of scares into Bryan. The biggest fright came in the final inning of Game 3, when the Lady Vikes were within one out of victory before Alex Robertson bashed a triple off the fence to drive in two runs and tie the game at 5-5.

After an intentional walk, Leander missed a chance to take the lead when Robertson was called out for being off third base.

Fittingly for a game in which they were outhit 10-5, the Lady Vikings scored the winning run without a hit. Kristin Lara drew a walk on a 10-pitch at bat, then moved up on a groundout and a fly ball. Leander intentionally walked cleanup hitter Michelle Stratta to face sophomore Ashley Lara.

The 2-1 pitch from Lauren Derting was her 193rd of the day, 305th in three days and last of the series. It glanced off the catcher's glove for a passed ball, with Kristin Lara called safe at the plate on an extremely close play that had Leander supporters crying out in anger and Bryan players and coaches jumping with joy.

"It had been a long day, but we met between innings and said this is our home turf and we've got a chance to win it right here," Bryan coach Enrique Luna said. "Our kids responded.

"She did get under the tag. I think he made the right call. That's a heck of a way to lose a ballgame. My heart goes out to their pitcher and catcher, because they did an outstanding job."

Senior right-hander Stratta (14-7) pitched a complete game. She allowed three multi-hit innings, but limited Leander to 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

Stratta also delivered two hits and drove in two runs, helping the Bryan team with six first-year playoff starts bounce back from a discouraging loss. Ashley Lara also had two hits.

"We're fighters," Stratta said. "We fight until the end pretty much every game we play, even when we lose."

Bryan suffered a couple of self-inflicted wounds in the day's first game, which resumed in the second inning after being suspended Friday because of rain. The Lady Vikes committed three fielding errors and made a couple of costly mistakes on the bases, twice getting doubled off second base on line drives to the second baseman.

The second double play doused a potential rally in the sixth, and Derting retired the last five batters as the game ended 22 hours, 25 minutes after it began.

Calli Wood and Stratta had two hits apiece in the opener. Wood's squeeze bunt in the first inning gave her a school-record 42 RBIs for the season.

• Larry Bowen's e-mail address is larry.bowen@theeagle.com.

Leander 5, Bryan 3

Leander 101 012 0 -- 5 11 9

Bryan 110 001 0 -- 3 7 3

Courtney Ford, Michelle Stratta (5) and Calli Wood. Lauren Derting and Alyssa Barry. W -- Derting. L -- Ford. 2B -- Leander: Sierra Larson, Alex Crowhurst; Bryan: Stratta, Jennifer Saxby, Jennifer Kasper. 3B -- Leander: Barry, Larson. Time: 1:51.

Bryan 6, Leander 5

Leander 100 002 2 -- 5 10 2

Bryan 200 120 1 -- 6 5 0

Michelle Stratta and Calli Wood. Lauren Derting and Alyssa Barry. W -- Stratta, 14-7. L -- Derting. 2B -- Leander: Alex Robertson; Bryan: Stratta. 3B -- Leander: Robertson, Alex Crowhurst; Bryan: Stratta, Ashley Lara. Records: Bryan 21-12, Leander 19-11. Time: 1:54.