It was no surprise that from the beginning of the Bulls-Thunder matchup July 6 at Holcom, it was a neck-and-neck battle. Coming into the game, both teams had one loss — to each other.

That didn’t change throughout the eight-inning battle for first place in Louie Holcom Amateur Baseball Assn. Heinrich league. The Bulls settled the stalemate by winning 6-5 in extra innings, but not without the Thunder putting up a fight.

Even though the Bulls scored more frequently, posting runs in five of the eight innings, a Thunder rally kept them in the game. Thunder player Dane Glover said that the high level of competition they saw facing the Bulls was no surprise to his team.

“We played hard, but we knew we would have to play hard,” Glover said.

After the first inning, the score was tied at 1. The Bulls jumped out to a 3-1 lead until the Thunder struck hard in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring four runs.

The Bulls tied the game with a two-run sixth inning and pitcher Lance Lamborn struck out two Thunder players in the bottom of the inning to take the game to extra innings.

Durham Bulls player Logan Braden reached on an error in the eighth inning that allowed Lamborn to score the go-ahead run from third after stealing two bases in the process.

Coach George Norton said base running proved to be a key part of the Bulls’ win.

“We took advantage of some situations, and ran the bases really well,” Norton said.

Glover said he and his teammates usually hit better than they did against the Bulls.

The Bulls’ pitching staff’s strong performance could be one of the factors that quieted the Thunder players’ bats.

Bulls player Lance Lamborn slides into third base during a Heinrich league game against the Thunder on July 6. The Bulls won the game 6-5 at Holcom.

In six innings of work, Bulls starting pitcher Nate Cooper had six strikeouts. In Lamborn’s relief appearance, he had seven strikeouts in two innings.

“We had one bad inning. It was the closest game I have seen all year,” Norton said. “You can’t take anything away from either team.”

The rivalry between the Bulls and the Thunder has been a see-saw battle all season. In the first meeting between the two teams May 22, the Bulls lost their first game of the season to the Thunder 8-0. In the next meeting, on June 3, Bulls beat the Thunder 5-1.

The Thunder will have a chance to tie up the series against the Bulls when they play each other for the final time in the regular season Thursday at 8:15 p.m. at Holcom.