The Trojans pitched the Dunkirk senior inside.

They hit him with a pitch.

Heck, they even shifted their third baseman into shallow right field trying to get the Marauders No. 2 hitter out.

In the end, Norton had the last laugh.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman At left, Marauders third baseman Javy DeJesus reacts after securing the final out.

Dunkirk’s left fielder went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs, and also had a pair of outfield assists as the Marauders beat Southwestern 7-5 in an 11-inning Memorial Day marathon at Packard Field.

“This was huge. This is just showing our dominance,” Norton said postgame. “We are such a good team. We’ve been having a hard time through the years winning games like this.”

The victory tightened Dunkirk’s hold on first place in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West with an unblemished 5-0 league mark to go along with an 8-1 overall record.

“Wow. Two teams battling again, just like the first game. Nobody quit and we took advantage late with some base hits and a couple of mistakes,” Marauders head coach Frank Jagoda said.

“Our moniker is ‘rock solid.’ … These kids are playing tough. That gives us a nice lead in the league right now,” Jagoda added. “Southwestern is an outstanding team. … We are fortunate.”

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Dunkirk’s Alex Ahlstrom slides safely into second base as Southwestern’s Aidan Kennedy secures a low throw during Monday’s game at Packard Field in Lakewood.

The second-place Trojans fell to 3-2 overall and in the league, but both of their losses are in extra innings to the Marauders.

“I’m really happy with the way the guys played today, just being able to battle back from two down and getting into extra innings,” Southwestern head coach Jared Brown said. ” … It was nice to see they didn’t give up.”

Twice in extra innings the Marauders took a two-run lead. The second time they hung on.

Alex Ahlstrom led off the top of the 11th inning by reaching on an error and then went to third on Norton’s single to center field. Phil Messina then grounded into a double play, but Ahlstrom scored the go-ahead run to make it 6-5.

“He’s on base,” Jagoda said of Ahlstrom, “and then (most times) it’s a double because he’s an outstanding base runner.”

Nick Zatorski then reached on a dropped pop fly and Donovan Lockett singled to center field before Javy DeJesus walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Dunkirk’s final run.

“We made some pretty bad errors at the wrong time,” Brown said.

Aidan Melquist walked to start the bottom of the 11th and after a strikeout, Max Marshall hit a sinking line drive into left field that apparently short-hopped Norton. Seeing that the Southwestern runner began to retreat, Norton threw into second base for the second out.

“A couple of years ago, Mike was catching, playing third and I said ‘Mike, you’re going to be my left fielder.’ For the last three years he’s been there,” Jagoda said. “He made some solid plays today. He was clutch.”

Matt Pannes then walked as the possible tying run, but Marauders reliever Bryson Travis — the sixth pitcher between the teams — induced a groundout to third base on the game’s 403rd pitch to end it.

“With guys on first and second,” Jagoda said, “we finally got a groundball and made a play.”

Dunkirk took the lead in the top of the ninth inning and the damage was done with two outs. Ahlstrom walked and went to second on a balk before Norton lined a double off the center-field fence to make it 6-5. After an intentional walk and a swinging-bunt single, Norton scored on a wild pitch.

“Mikey drilled that double with two strikes,” Jagoda said.

But the Trojans managed the tie the game in the bottom half of the frame. Cal Ricker walked with one out, stole second and went to third on an error. After a strikeout, Ricker scored on an error. Pinch-runner Josh Truver went to second on a walk to Jameson Walsh and scored on an RBI single up the middle from Marshall.

“Max was the heartbeat of our team down there at the bottom of the order,” Brown said. “Max did his job. He’s earned every right to play the position he’s playing.”

Southwestern had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 10th. Aidan Kennedy walked and went to second on a balk before Dustin Hendrix was hit by a pitch. With no outs, Ricker hit a sinking line drive to left field where Norton made a diving catch. He then came up throwing to second base to nab Kennedy before he retreated to the bag.

“I caught it, took a look and saw how far he was,” Norton said. “I knew I was going to get him.”

The Trojans will look to get back in the win column Wednesday at Fredonia while Dunkirk will look to pad its lead in the division today with a home game against Allegany-Limestone.

“These kids got on the bus today and they were very quiet on the way,” Jagoda said. ” … They really came through.”

“We just take one game at a time and keep the momentum up,” Norton added. “That’s all we can do.”

NOTES: Ahlstrom was on base four times and scored three runs; Lockett and Tanner Schrantz each had two hits; and DeJesus doubled for Dunkirk. … Hendrix and Walsh had doubles for Southwestern. … Zatorski threw 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven for the Marauders. … Kennedy threw six innings, striking out six for the Trojans.