A late start led to a late flourish Monday as the Sky Sox rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Tacoma 13-12 at Security Service Field.

Matt Miller, who had four hits, ended the ninth-inning drama by lining a single to center, chasing home Mike McCoy with the winning run.

“This game was a lot of fun, looking back on it,” said Miller, who also had two doubles and a triple in the final five innings as the Sky Sox climbed out of an 11-5 hole.

Tacoma still led 12-9 in the eighth when Miller led off with a double. Edwin Bellorin, Chris Frey and Jonathan Herrera added RBIs to forge the first tie since 4-4 in the first inning.

“I’ve been hearing about how this team battles and never quits,” said Stu Cole, who managed his second Sky Sox game after being promoted from Double-A Tulsa. “They just kept chipping away.”

The start of the game was delayed 87 minutes by rain but it didn’t affect the hitters.

Eric Young Jr. had four hits for the Sky Sox while Carlos Gonzalez had three, including a three-run homer in the first inning and an RBI double in the second.

Gonzalez left the game in the seventh after fouling a ball off his right shin but said he would play today in the opener of a four-game series against Fresno.

The Sky Sox had 21 hits while Tacoma tied a season high with 19. Mike Morse led the Rainiers with four hits and four RBIs, including a three-run homer in the first.

The first-place Sky Sox (31-19) took three of four from division foe Tacoma (27-24) and lead second-place Salt Lake by two games.

“Days like this help you get through a long season,” Miller said. “When you’re not going well, you think back to a day like this and the success you had. Still, it was a mentally stressful day. I got here at 3, we started at 8:30 and I’ll be home about 1.”

McCoy had a great defensive play and Young turned in a pair. Young scrambled to his left in the first inning to rob Michael Saunders of a single and made a diving stab to his right to rob Morse of his fourth hit in the fifth inning.

Tacoma’s Jeff Clement doubled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, six shy of the Rainiers’ record. Clement, a catcher by trade and Seattle’s No. 1 draft choice in 2005, would be behind the plate for the parent club Seattle Mariners, but he’s limited to DH duty while recovering from a knee injury.

Colorado Rockies reliever Matt Daley pitched a perfect sixth inning and struck out the side on 15 pitches. It was the first inning the Rainiers failed to light the scoreboard.

New Sky Sox skipper Stu Cole stands in the dugout during a game against the Tacoma Rainiers at Security Service Field on Monday, June 1, 2009. Heavy rain delayed the game. Photo by BRYAN OLLER, THE GAZETTE