The Centralia College baseball team went south to Vancouver expecting to play 18 innings against Clark College on Saturday, but the Blazers probably didn’t expect to approach that mark in just one game.
That’s where CC found itself, though, needing 14 frames to beat the Penguins 7-4 in the longest game played in the NWAC yet this season.
The Blazers got through the extra-long game with an intact pitching staff thanks in to Nick Geersten, who came into a jam in the bottom of the eighth, got three straight outs to strand two inherited runners, and then settled in to throw six more shutout innings in relief.
The sophomore didn’t strike anybody out, letting his defense record 21 consecutive outs behind him, and allowed three hits and a walk.
After four straight scoreless frames to start extras, Centralia finally put together a rally in the 14th inning. The Blazers loaded the bases with one out, and River Terry broke the tie on an RBI groundout. After the Penguins intentionally walked Casen Taggart to load the bags back up, Bennett Comes broke things open with a two-RBI single — Centralia’s first hit with runners in scoring position since the third inning, and just the Blazers’ second of the game.
Centralia managed just six hits in the 14 innings, half of which came from center fielder Zaia Acklus, who went 3 for 6, scoring one run and driving in another.
After a bit of a break, the Blazers and Penguins went back at it, this time in a game that went shorter than regulation. Clark struck for three runs in the first two innings, and held on to win 3-1.
Centralia and Clark will make the return trip to Lewis County on Sunday, with two more games on the schedule.
