Gregg,
I agree with ypur sentiments. I have a shortstop who threw 128 pitches the other day for his high school team. It's amazing.
Check out the story below on a college game:
The Jackson Sun
Apr 30 2005
|Lambuth 8, Pikeville 5 (22)|
Eagles make good on 22 innings
GEORGETOWN, Ky. - For a coach with 503 career wins, you'd think Wayne Albury would pretty much have seen it all over the course of 17 years.
Well ...
In the longest baseball game by innings in NAIA history, Lambuth defeated Pikeville (Ky.) on Friday, 8-5, in 22 innings during the first round of the Mid-South Tournament.
An RBI double by Rafael Matos, followed by Wes Daniels' two-run homer, ended the marathon that lasted five hours and 45 minutes. The first pitch was thrown at 10:30 a.m. EDT and the last out recorded at 4:15 p.m.
''Well, you know the old saying in baseball - when you think you've seen it all, you see something new,'' Albury said. ''But this caps it. A 22-inning game, are you kidding me?''
According to the NAIA's Web site, the previous record for longest game was a 21-inning contest in 1985 between Southern Arkansas and Louisiana Tech. What's interesting is Lambuth led four times after the teams headed to extra innings tied at 2.
The Eagles (32-24) had taken a one-run lead in the 10th, 12th and 19th innings, only to see Pikeville score to extend the game. But that wasn't the case in the 22nd inning, as Hector Garcia protected the lead with a perfect 1-2-3 performance for the save. The win went to Miguel Garcia, who pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 21st.
''When we were in about the 13th inning, I was thinking this can't go more than 16 or 17 innings. No way,'' Albury said. ''But, of course, I was wrong. It was a game that had a variety of things happen. It was just unbelievable to be a part of.''
Dustin McKeel started for Lambuth and worked eight innings. The real workhorse was Brandon Jackson, who pitched the next 11 innings to setup the finish for the Garcias. The Eagles' staff allowed 14 hits, struck out 12 and walked eight.
For Pikeville (21-30), Chad Roberts pitched 15 innings before being relieved by Andrew McCormick, who worked the final seven and took the loss.
The 15 innings by Roberts were far from a record. The all-time mark in NAIA baseball was set in 1972 when Denny Pusateri of Evangel (Mo.) pitched 19 innings against Ozarks (Mo.).
Offensively, Chris Logan led Lambuth, finishing 4-for-9. After that John Cooper went 2-for-7, Jackson 2-for-8, and Daniels and J.J. Lopez both 2-for-10.
What's interesting, though, is how Pikeville keeps popping up on Albury's resume.
The school was the first stop of his college coaching career in 1988. It was also the program Albury posted his 400th career win against.
''It is strange, but Pikeville's where I got the opportunity to start a career I wanted to pursue, which I'm thankful for,'' Albury said. ''But it's odd how our paths continue to cross.''
Putting aside the historic events of Friday, third-seeded Lambuth returns to action today in a 9 a.m. game against second seed Cumberland College in the winner's bracket semifinals of the tournament.
The winner has off until Sunday, while the loser meets Georgetown - which fell 4-0 to Lindsey Wilson on Friday - at 3 p.m. in an elimination game.
''Right now we're tired, but the important thing you always try to do is win the first game of the tournament,'' Albury said. ''Give credit to the kids, though, because they kept battling, hung in there and won.
''Now we have to find a way to do it again. But after a game like that, who knows. I hope we don't have to experience anything like that again, that's for sure.''
