Bend Elks players, from left, Makoa Sniffen, Easton Amundson, Bryce Clavon, and Teddy Tokheim celebrate after Tokheim hit a grand slam during the Bend Elks game against the Walla Walla Sweets at Vince Genna Stadium in Bend on July 1. (Andy Tullis/The Bulletin)

Tied 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Sunday night’s rubber match, Jace Miller sent the first pitch he saw over the fence to give the Bend Elks a 10-9 walk-off win and the series victory over the Cowlitz Black Bears at Bend’s Vince Genna Stadium.

With the regular season winding down and the postseason just a few weeks away, it was a much needed victory for the Elks, who are now in sole possession of third place in the West Coast League South Division in both the second-half record and overall record.

The Elks (22-18 overall, 9-6 second half) trail only the Portland Pickles and the Corvallis Knights in the standings and have a narrow one-game lead over Cowlitz and the Salem Marion Berries.

In Sunday’s series clincher, former Mountain View High pitcher Simon Lemke threw three shutout innings of relief while striking out two Bears batters to earn the win.

After falling 13-7 in the first game of the series against Cowlitz on Friday, the Elks rebounded with a 9-1 win Saturday before winning the series on Sunday.

The Elks will now embark on a seven-game road trip, starting Tuesday with a three-game series against the Walla Walla Sweets, followed by another three-game series at Cowlitz. The Elks will then play a make-up game against the Pickles in Portland before returning to Vince Genna Stadium with seven straight home games, starting with a series against the Pickles July 29-31.

— Bulletin staff report