Determination was the key for the Kaiserslautern baseball team in a 9-7 victory Friday over the visiting Lakenheath Lancers — determination to come from behind and determination to get the game in at all given a drenching weekend rain.

"If it had been a team from around the block, we probably would have said, ‘Let’s go home,’ " Kaiserlautern coach Tom Burriss said by telephone about playing in the mud and damp. "But Lakenheath came a long way to play."

Friday’s scheduled first game was a casualty of Lakenheath’s late arrival, so Kaiserslautern was the visiting team in the only game played. Kaiserslautern trailed 4-1 after three innings, but tied the game 6-6 in the fifth and scored the winning runs on a three-run home run by Ramzey Oakly in the top of the sixth.

The game-winning blast was Oakly’s third hit of the day in four at-bats and made a winner of reliever Christian Randolph, who overcame five walks. Randolph came on in the fifth for starter Michael Kossaboom, who struck out four and walked three.

Mick Clarke and James Bailey each went 2-for-3 for the Red Raiders (2-1).

Jacob Hudson, who struck out five, took the loss for Lakenheath (0-1). Paul Federko and Marshall Todman led the Lancers’ attack, Burriss said. Federko was 3-for-4 and Todman 2-for-4.

In other attempts at rainy-day ball:

Patch 7, Bamberg 0, 2, susp.: On Saturday at Stuttgart, rain caused the delay of a game which the teams hope to resume this Friday at Bamberg, according to patch coach Shawn Phelps.

Naples 14-7, Sigonella 6-0: Saturday at Sigonella, Shy Goodnature and Logan Porchie combined on a one-hitter in the nightcap as the Wildcats (4-0) completed a sweep of Sigonella (2-2).

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