Thirteen Innings, One Run: A State Semifinal That Refused to End
A pitching duel for the ages, a walk-off single, and two programs that left everything on the field.
The game started at 4 p.m. It ended at 7:43. In between, 26 players took the field, 247 pitches were thrown, and exactly one run was scored.
Northside's Marcus Vega and Riverside's Aaron Chen were both still on the mound in the seventh inning, which is unusual. They were both still on the mound in the ninth, which is remarkable. Vega finally came out after 112 pitches. Chen lasted 118.
The bullpens took over and matched the starters pitch for pitch. Three more innings passed without a run. The crowd — several hundred parents, students, and scouts — barely moved.
In the thirteenth, Northside's Luis Ortega led off with a single. A sacrifice bunt moved him to second. An intentional walk loaded the bases. And then Danny Park, the closer who had been used as a pinch hitter for the first time all season, lined a single to left field on a 2-2 fastball.
Ortega scored standing up. Northside won 1-0. The Riverside dugout sat in silence for a long moment before the handshake line formed.
"I don't know what to say," Vega said afterward, still in his uniform, sitting on the dugout steps. "That's the best game I've ever been a part of. Both sides. That was just baseball."