Daniel Spingola singled home Tom Zengel in the ninth inning lifting the Danbury Westerners to a 9-8 semifinal round victory over the host Keene Swamp Bats in a New England Collegiate Baseball League playoff game Tuesday at Alumni Field before 1,380 fans.

The series continues Wednesday night in Danbury at 6:30.

Keene tied the game 8-8 in the seventh inning when Mike Papi walked with the bases loaded and one out. But Keene, which stranded 10 runners, couldn’t take the lead. Dylan DelaCruz reached on a forced out, erasing a teammate at the plate and Grant Kay, who had two RBIs, struck out to end the inning. Keene went down quietly in the eighth and ninth frames.

The Swamp Bats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. DelaCruz walked with one out. A wild pitch and passed ball got DelaCruz to third base before he scored on a single from Kay.

Danbury used its muscle to produce a five-run lead. In the third inning, Andrew Garner slugged a solo homer and Tyler Gorman added a two-run blast.

The lead swelled to 6-1 in the third inning when Zach Shank drilled a two-run homer and Jake Stinnett added a solo blast.

Keene cut the deficit to 6-4 in the home third as Kay had an RBI hit coupled with a two-run single from Jared Walsh.

Danbury took a 7-4 lead in the fourth inning when Michael Thomas homered, but Keene nudged closer with a pair in the home fourth. Kay had another RBI single while Frankie Schwindel was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Keene eventually tied Danbury in the fifth inning when Brett Barrett bashed a solo homer.

The Westerners re-gained the lead, 8-7, in the sixth frame on Tom Zengel’s RBI double.