Ripon’s Michael Faria broke a sixth-inning tie with a two-RBI single back up the middle on the way to a thrilling 10-6 win over visiting Escalon in a Trans Valley League showdown Wednesday at Mistlin Sports Complex.

“I had two strikes on me,” Faria said. “I have been struggling, I used a two-strike approach, and I got the hit.”

Frank Carter-Castro took the mound for Ripon (6-3 TVL, 14-9 overall) with one out, two on and two across in the fifth. The Cougars (6-3, 16-7) added another run to come within 4-3.

Carter-Castro went 2 for 2 with a pair of walks and three runs.

“I came in to a tough situation,” Carter-Castro said. “I just try my best to let them hit it and have the defense work, and it worked.

“At the plate, I was thinking to watch pitches, hit my pitch and put the bat on the ball.”

Escalon added three more in the sixth to tie the game, setting up Faria’s clutch hit in the bottom of the frame.

“Today was back and forth,” Indians coach Chris Barna said. “It started out nothing-nothing most of the way. And then a couple of runs, a couple of runs, a couple of runs and luckily, we had more at the end.”

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Ripon put up four runs.

The Indians’ first run came on a bases-loaded walk to Jack Peters (2 for 4, two RBI, two runs), plating Carter-Castro. Hunter Weber singled in Faria (2 for 4, two RBI, run) followed with a two-RBI double by Brayden McDowell, scoring Aiden Davis and Peters.

The Indians added two more in the fifth when Carter-Castro came in on a fielder’s choice by Luca Damiano and Landon Espinola (2 for 3, RBI, two runs) scored on Peters’ single.

Zach Wells was 2 for 4 with three RBI for Escalon and teammate Brody Abbott tripled to lead off the seventh but was left stranded at third to end the game.

The two teams conclude their series on Friday at 4 p.m. in Escalon.