The PawSox’ Devern Hansack, delivering a pitch during the fifth inning last night, didn’t give up a hit through six innings.

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The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

PAWTUCKET –– Devern Hansack was superb coming off the disabled list. Jason Lane came up big one night after having been ejected.

Hansack and Lane carried Pawtucket to a 3-1 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night at McCoy Stadium, squaring their best-of-five Governor’s Cup playoff series at one game apiece.

After an easy Yankees victory in the opener, this one had more playoff tension as well as all kinds of twists and turns that made it entertaining.

The biggest involved Hansack. He was taken out of the game after six innings with a no-hitter going. The right-hander, who was 6-10 in the regular season, was on a pitch count. He had been on the disabled list because of a forearm contusion on his pitching arm. He made on appearance Saturday after coming off the DL, throwing 37 pitches in two innings.

Because he had gone 12 days before that without pitching, he was restricted to 75-80 pitches last night. He made them count.

“It was a phenomenal outing,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. “Six innings and he no-hits the best team in the league. . . He dominated.”

Hansack struck out eight, seven swinging, and walked two.

As it was, Johnson almost took him out after 5 2/3 innings when he reached 74 pitches. The next Yankees hitter was Juan Miranda, a lefty who hits .195 against southpaws, .330 against righties. Johnson had lefty Jon Switzer warmed and ready to face Miranda. Before he went to the mound, though, pitching coach Rich Sauveur had a suggestion.

“Rich said before you make the motion to the bullpen, see what he feels like,” Johnson related. Hansack talked Johnson into staying in for one more batter, saying he felt great and would strike out Miranda. As it was, he worked the count full and then Miranda ripped a hard shot up the first-base line.

First baseman Gil Velazquez made a diving stab and flipped to Hansack covering for the out. That brought Hansack to 80 pitches and Johnson would not allow any more.

“To me, you become a bad employee if you lose your head and all of a sudden he’s going 95, 100 pitches,” Johnson said. “He had done enough.” Switzer came on in the seventh, and the second hitter he faced, Ben Broussard, hit a grounder in the first-base hole. Velazquez fielded it, but Switzer was late covering and the no-hitter was gone. Scranton ended with two hits for the night as Switzer, Beau Vaughan and Hunter Jones finished up nicely.

Lane and Jeff Corsaletti took care of the offense. Corsaletti homered in the fourth. Lane drove in the other two with a single in the third and a homer in the eighth. The performance was sweet for him since he had been ejected in the first inning in the opener for arguing a called third strike.

“I sort of lost my mind a little bit,” Lane said. “It definitely feels good to come back and drive in some runs for the team.”

Pawtucket pitchers finished with 12 strikeouts and played well defensively in a major turnaround from the opening 7-1 loss.

“As tough as yesterday’s game was for us, as far as we just didn’t play very well in any aspect of the game, we played that well today,” Johnson said.

When the series resumes tonight, Scranton will be without Melky Cabrera. He was recalled by New York after the game to replace the injured Bobby Abreu.

pkenyon@projo.com