BISBEE — Opening day of the Bisbee Copper Kings’ season at Warren Ballpark on Saturday certainly didn’t skip on the dramatics.

After blowing a two-run lead in the top of the ninth inning to the Tucson Nationals, the Kings scratched across a run in the bottom half of the final frame on a throwing error by the Tucson second baseman to squeak out a 9-8 win.

The victory marked a sweep of the opening-day doubleheader after Bisbee knocked off the Nationals 4-1 in the first game.

Game two was a seesaw affair throughout.

After Bisbee starter Calen Pennington mowed down the Nationals through three innings of one-hit ball, the Kings jumped on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI double by shortstop Destry Rice.

In the top of the fourth, Pennington was replaced by Dominique Davis, who threw two wild pitches with runners on third that allowed Tucson to grab a 2-1 lead.

Bisbee coach Greg Pennington said it was his plan coming in to use a wide variety of pitchers. In all, nine picthers took the mound for the Kings during the two-game set.

“That was the plan coming in to see what a lot of pitchers had,” Pennington said. “If this had been a game that really meant something, we probably have four or five guys that could have really shut them down. I would say 80 percent of the picthing we had tonight was phenomenal.”

The two teams continued to trade the lead until the bottom of the sixth. The Kings entered the inning down 5-3, but pushed across five runs to grab an 8-5 lead.

The bulk of the damage came from outfielder Kyle Cormier’s bases-loaded triple on a 1-2 pitch with two outs.

After making up a run in the eighth, the Nationals entered their last at-bat trailing by two.

Tucson’s Jeff Oldenburg delivered an RBI single to right field to draw his squad to within one.

With a runner on second and two outs, the next Tucson batter hit a routine ground ball to shortstop, where it managed to sneak under the glove of the normally sure-handed Rice allowing the Nationals to tie the game 8-8.

Rice, who led the Kings with two RBIs on 4-for-5 hitting, looked distraught coming off the field, but his coach did not let him dwell on the rare error.

“I just told him a joke,” Pennigton said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Let’s not even think about that right now, let me tell you a joke.’”

In the bottom of the ninth, Michael Mecucci led off with a single to right field and was then moved to second on an infield single from Rice.

The Kings’ next batter, Miguel Trujillo, chopped a routine grounder to Tucson’s second baseman, but he bobbled the ball, and his rushed throw flew past the first baseman allowing Mecucci to cross the plate for the win.

While some of the fans that peppered the stands of the 100-year-old stadium were sweating out the anxious moments, the Kings were loose throughout and said they were just happy to be on the field.

“It was great to just get back out there with everybody,” said first basman Cody Bair,