GRAND JUNCTION, Col. -- In the longest game ever played in the 65-year history of the Juco World Series, Central Florida erupted for seven runs in the 12th inning for a 19-12 victory over Wabash Valley on Thursday night.
The game lasted for five hours and 19 minutes, eclipsing the previous mark by 46 minutes. Between both teams there were 31 runs scored, 38 hits, and eight errors. There were 33 runners left on base.
The loss did not spoil the national championship hopes of Wabash Valley, it just delayed them. Instead of playing for the crown as soon as Friday, the Warriors will now await the winner of a Friday night game between Central Florida and Weatherford, Texas.
A winner-take-all championship game will now be played at 8 p.m. CDT on Saturday at Sam Suplizio Field, where a surprising number of hardy souls out of 8,679 paid admissions were around after midnight local time to witness the end of the marathon.
For those who figured the Warriors could afford to play it safe, being a loss up on the other two teams, the intensity level on the field suggested otherwise.
"This team, they love to play, they love to win, they love to compete," said Warrior manager Aaron Biddle. "We were going after it just like it was any other baseball game."
WVC used nine pitchers in the game, including one front-line starter, Agnel Miranda, and one of the main pieces from the bullpen, Luke Leverton, to try and hold back Central Florida, the top seed and pre-tournament favorite coming in. But the determined Patriots, facing elimination, scored two runs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Both teams scored once in the 11th but in the following inning, the Patriots plated seven. Even then, the Warriors did not go quietly into the night, putting two men on with one out in the bottom of the 12th before the Pats turned a 6-4-3 to finally end it.
Bruce Jellison had a big night at the plate for Wabash Valley (57-12). The freshman second basemen had five hits in seven trips with five RBIs. Batting third in the order, Jellison hit a two-run home run to right in the first inning, a two-run single in the second, and an RBI hit in the fourth.
"It all revolved around the team always having my back. They all trust me," Jellison said. "I had a rough day yesterday so I went back to the basics I've been playing since I was little. I respect the coach for always putting me back in the lineup."
By simply appearing at the post-game press conference, Jellison allayed fears over his health status after a collision with right fielder Luke Evans while chasing a pop up on the right side.
Jellison wasn't the only player banged up in this grueling affair. First baseman Dalton Fiveash and catcher Daniel Contreras were pulled from the game after being hurt.
"I think we're going to be alright," said Biddle of the injuries. Plus, the Warriors now have an extra day to heal.
One player they won't get back, though, is Jorge Rodriguez. He was injured again during a pinch-hit appearance on Wednesday and is now out for the season.
Central Florida (54-7), the South Atlantic District winner, threw its' highly touted ace, Brian Holiday, who had two-hit Andrew, Georgia, earlier in the World Series. Warrior bats had little trouble figuring the flame-throwing righthander out, scorching him for 10 runs on 11 hits in three innings of work.
The bullpen saved the day for the Patriots, though, with the tandem of Keller Eberly and Isaac Sewell holding the Warriors to a total of two runs over an eight-inning stretch. Sewell ended up getting the win. He is now 10-2 on the year.
Add Central Florida to the long list of teams simply unable to stop Warrior sophomore Nick Williams at the plate. He was 4-for-5 against the Pats, with two RBIs and three runs scored.
In five games at the World Series,Williams is hitting an unearthly .714 (15-of-21), with two home runs and 14 RBIs.
Aidan Deakins started the game on the hill for WVC, now 4-1 in World Series play. He worked one inning. Mike Sokol followed with 2 1/3 innings, the longest stint of the day, followed in succession by Manuel de Gracia, Maddox Pennington, Cade Schneider, Brock Lucas, Agnel Miranda, Luke Leverton, and Charez Butler.
Leverton took the loss, falling to 4-4 on the year.
Central Florida must heal as well, but without the benefit of a day off, before the Pats square off against Weatherford (53-10) on Friday night.
Leadoff hitter Bradke Lohry, a Tennessee commit who played at Wabash Valley last year before transferring, was shaken up in an infield collision, but remained in the game. Lohry was 1-for-7 at the plate.
Wabash Valley is seeking a second national title for an NJCAA Region 24 and Great Rivers Athletic Conference school this year. John A. Logan won the men's basketball crown in March in Hutchinson, Kansas.