(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College and Kishwaukee College engaged in a marathon battle on Wednesday afternoon. Slated as a doubleheader with two seven-inning games, the Chiefs eventually prevailed in the opening contest 8-7 courtesy of Ethan Cusack's walk-off single in the bottom of the 14th inning. The Kougars scored twice in the top of the seventh to knot the score and both teams tallied two runs in the ninth inning to prolong the epic standoff. The 14-inning affair tied for the second longest game in Chiefs' baseball history, trailing only a pair of 15-inning battles from 50 years ago when Waubonsee's 1976 team lost 8-6 to Lake County and edged the College of DuPage 3-2. With the impending darkness looming, game two was then cancelled after the nearly 5-hour first game.
Waubonsee (14-30) jumped in front on the Kougars (8-36) scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning. Donovan Williams led off with a line-shot triple to left center field and scored a moment later when Aaron Klemm smashed a hard grounder past the Kishwaukee third baseman. Jacob Cronshaw followed with a ringing double to left center field to quickly make it 2-0. Four batters later Cronshaw scored when Cusack ripped a single through the right side of the infield. The Kougars loaded the bases in the top of the second but did not score as Chiefs' starting pitcher Bennett Allen snagged a comebacker and flipped to first for the third out.
Kishwaukee got on the board in the top of the third on a run-scoring triple to left field by Sawyer Larson. But Allen induced a lineout to third and a strikeout to strand Larson at third base. The Chiefs threatened in their half of the third loading the bases with no outs. But they did not score either as Kishwaukee starter Patrick Jasinski got a strikeout and a double play to escape unharmed. Waubonsee scored a fourth run in the fourth inning via a double steal as Andrew Hernandez scored from third before Cronshaw was tagged out to end the frame. However, the Kougars got right back in the game as Nico Mainolfi drilled a two-out, two-run double over Williams' head in center field to pull the visitors within 4-3 in the fifth.
Waubonsee squelched a potential Kougars rally in the top of the sixth with a double play and then Williams came to the plate and launched a solo home run to right field to give the Chiefs a little breathing room. Williams' long ball, his fourth of the Spring, turned out to be very important. In the top of the seventh Allen began to show signs of fatigue as he reached 100 pitches thrown. The big right-handed hurler plunked Nathan Kolder with one out to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Chiefs' head coach Alex Hales went to his bullpen bringing in Miles Nehring to try and close it out. After a single put runners on first and second Nehring registered a three-pitch strikeout to get Waubonsee one out away from victory. Unfortunately, a passed ball moved the runners up putting the tying run in scoring position. Down to his last strike, Mainolfi fouled off three straight pitches before lining a single to right to tie the game at five. The Chiefs went down in order in their half of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
Kishwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the eighth before Chiefs' reliever Devin Shaulis enticed Juan Rodriguez to fly out to Klemm in right field. The Kougars then appeared to get the upper hand in the top of the ninth when Mainolfi smashed a two-run homer to right field to give his team a 7-5 lead. However, Waubonsee responded in the bottom of the ninth loading the bases with one out on a hit-batsman and two walks, the only free passes Kishwaukee reliever Brock Metzger issued over six innings of work. Ben Hernandez then tied the game with a two-run single through the right side of the infield putting runners at the corners. The Chiefs looked like they were about to score a walk-off victory, but Sam Carroll's line-shot headed toward right field was snagged by Kougars' second baseman Nick Price for the second out. Metzger then struck out Cusack to keep the extra inning affair going.
The score remained knotted at seven as neither team got more than one base runner at any time over the next three innings. In the top of the 13th inning Kishwaukee got a runner to third with two outs against the Chiefs' third reliever of the contest, Carson Baker. The dangerous Mainolfi, who had already driven in six the Kougars' seven runs, stepped to the plate. Waubonsee elected to intentionally walk Kishwaukee's number five hitter putting runners at first and third. Two pitches later Mainolfi took off for second and Chiefs' catcher Eliseo Liscano made a fake throw to second that enticed the Kougars' Jonathan Hartline off third base. On the ensuing rundown Enrique Alvarez threw to Baker who tagged Hartline out at home plate to end the inning to the delight of a very excited Waubonsee dugout.
Waubonsee finally broke through in the bottom of the 14th inning as Cronshaw led off with a solid single to right field off Kishwaukee's third reliever of the game Jacob Dzado. Ben Hernandez then slapped a one-out single to left field and Cronshaw hustled all the way to third to put the potential winning run only 90 feet away from home. Carroll was intentionally walked to load the bases and Cusack ended it two pitches later with a line drive single to right field.
Baker got the win for Waubonsee with two scoreless innings of relief. Cronshaw, Williams, Cusack and Ben Hernandez each registered two hits apiece as Waubonsee booked a dozen hits. Kishwaukee finished with 15 hits as Mainolfi, Larson, Hartline and Seth Neilson each booked three hits on the day. Waubonsee is in action again this coming Friday, May 1, when they host McHenry County College beginning at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, April 2, the Chiefs are slated to play Sauk Valley Community College at Northwestern Medicine Field, home of the Kane County Cougars, starting at 1:00 p.m.