ARGYLE - Argyle, behind southpaw ace Ben Wallace, broke a playoff drought Sunday, winning a pitchers duel 4-2 over New Glarus in the first round of the Home Talent League Western Section playoffs.

The victory for Argyle (11-6) marks the Beavers' first playoff win in 11 years. Wallace pitched 8 1/3 innings and gave up two unearned runs on just three hits. He struck out 15 and walked seven. It didn't all come easy for Wallace and the Beavers.

The Tourists (7-10) mounted a ninth-inning rally, with player-manager Stein Rear getting a leadoff walk and Lee Vlasak singling to left. Drew Moen then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the potential game-tying run into scoring position. Wallace walked Chris Rear to load the bases, and the Beavers went to the bullpen. With one out, D.J. McGowan hit a comebacker to Argyle relief pitcher Jarret Bauman, which he turned into a 1-2-3 double play.

"We gave ourselves a chance to win," Stein Rear said. "If it finds a hole, it probably scores two runs."

Argyle co-player-manager Mike Godfrey didn't want a flashback to the last time the Beavers played New Glarus, when the Tourists scored two runs in the 10th inning for a 5-3 win.

"I was hoping for no deja vu," Godfrey said. "Our goal since February in the batting cage was to get a home playoff game. We have been in the playoffs the last couple of years. We always ran into Wiota and Monroe."

Godfrey didn't hesitate to go to Bauman with the game on the line.

"We stuck with him (Wallace) as long as we could," he said.

Wallace understood Godfrey's decision to give him the hook in the ninth.

"Competitive nature told me I still had something left," he said.

Wallace said he probably should have been taken out after giving up the second base runner.

"Jarret Bauman is a hell of a pitcher and I had confidence in him," Wallace said.

The Tourists struck first in the second inning. Mark Hamilton and Stein Rear set up the scoring opportunity with back-to-back singles. Wallace then walked Vlasak to load the bases. Wallace struck out Moen and Ryan Brugger before walking in a run to give the Tourists a short-lived 1-0 lead.

New Glarus starting pitcher Kyle Spurley, who pitches at MATC, carried a no-hitter into the sixth despite walking four of his six in the second inning, including a bases-loaded walk to Travis Erickson to tie the score at 1-1.

"When you have a kid like Spurley, I knew they would be in the game," Wallace said. "I knew it would be a pitchers duel."

The Beavers and Tourists were locked in a 1-1 tie until the sixth. Lance Rossing led off the sixth with a single to left center to break up Spurley's no-hit bid. With a hit and run on, Jon Wild bounced a single to right center. The big blow in the sixth came on Tyler Ritschard's go-ahead, two-run double to left center that gave the Beavers a 3-1 lead.

"It felt pretty good," Ritschard said. "It's my first extra-base hit the whole year."

Ritschard said he didn't feel extra pressure as a No. 3 seed to deliver a win for fans.

"It's day by day and game by game," he said. "Anyone can beat anybody."

Stein Rear understands the key to Wallace's success.

"When you throw three pitches for strikes, it makes it tough on the hitters," Stein Rear said.

Godfrey is confident in Wallace, who has struck out at least 10 in every game he has pitched except one.

"Ben is our horse," Godfrey said. "We know if he is out there and he's on, we stick with him."