On Thursday, Bitters and Bones handed The Lanes its first loss of the season to tie the final series at one win each and force a third game tonight to determine this year’s league champion.

Facing a one-game deficit, Bitters and Bones stayed alive Thursday with a 14-9 victory to even the series.

After blowing a 13-12 lead and falling 29-13 in Tuesday’s championship series opener, Bitters and Bones grabbed a 2-1 edge in the first inning in game two and never trailed. The winners took control by plating 10 runs during the third and fourth innings to build up a 12-2 advantage.

The Lanes made a late run with six runs during the final two innings but fell short.

Lauren Reeve of The Lanes snags a pop fly in right field while Amy Hyatt backs up the play during Thursday’s game. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

Bitters and Bones entered the playoffs as the fourth seed with a 3-6 record and will be looking to continue its upset-minded run in tonight’s third game, which takes place at the Petrova Avenue softball diamond starting at 6 p.m.

The Lanes is the top-seeded squad and claimed the regular season crown with a 10-0 record.