The Pembina Valley Orioles couldn't hold the lead and fell 3-2 to the St. James A's in game one of their best-of-five Manitoba Junior Baseball League semifinal Sunday afternoon at Optimist Park in Winnipeg.

Tanner Bergman and Bobby Matuszewski crossed the plate in the top of the second inning to give Pembina Valley the early advantage but St. James game one starter Curtis De Pena allowed just two base runners the rest of the way.

The A's got those two runs back in the bottom of the fourth.

Orioles catcher Justin Odlum's error trying to throw out Brady Nault at third base allowed the St. James left fielder to trot home with the A's first run.

Matt Johnson's two-out double then scored Wyatt Kemball with the tying run.

One inning later Nault drove in the winning run with a two-out triple off Pembina Valley starter Seth Staple.

"The 2-0 lead early was really good," said Orioles third baseman Mackenzie Hamm. "We were fired up on the bench. You fight so hard to get those two runs and you hold it through half the game and then you lose it like that, it's kind of tough on the team. You've got to find a way to push through it and come out with the win but unfortunately we were not able to do that today."

De Pena went the distance allowing just four hits, struck out 10, gave up one walk and retired the last 13 Pembina Valley batters he faced.

Hamm said De Pena's curveball was nearly unhittable.

"It's a tabletop curve ball that looks flat out of his hand and three feet before the plate it will move on you. And he has excellent command on his fastball. He threw it pretty hard."

Game two goes tonight (7 p.m.) at Buhler Field in Morden.