Raiders win in extra innings

By SETH STRINGER

NWF State skipper Doug Martin certainly didn't draw it up like this.

Two outs, no one on, the Raiders trailing State College of Florida 6-5 in the top of the ninth inning of Monday's Region 8 Wild Card game. For a team that began the season ranked No. 1 in the country, it was a nightmare scenario.

Surely the reigning national and FCSAA state champs couldn't go out like this, could they

Handsome Monica answered that question when he launched a solo home run to right-center to knot the score.

Will Luft answered that question when he induced a bases-loaded double play with one out in the bottom of the ninth.

And the Raiders' lineup answered that question when they plated three runs in the 10th for a 9-6 win, advancing to the Region 8 tournament two weeks from now.

"They hung in there, stayed the course and they never gave up," Martin said. "They could've packed it up a while ago, but they didn't. They held their heads high and fought.    "This is a great experience for them to learn from and move on and get better."

Let's just hope the Raiders haven't used up their nine lives yet. After all, before Monday's thriller they kept their season alive with a game-ending play at the plate that preserved a 7-6 win over Tallahassee. And before that they started out the conference slate 0-6 before fighting back to the third spot to clinch the wild card appearance.

"To even be here talking to you about going to the state tournament after starting 0-6, that's just unbelievable," Martin said.

Will Luft (1 2/3 scoreless, two strikeouts) got the win for the Raiders, who first came back from a 3-0 deficit with a three-run homer by Michael Higgins in the fourth. Monica then doubled home Hunter Tackett in the fifth and was later driven in by a Taylor Lane sacrifice fly to put the Raiders ahead 5-3.

Jarett Montgomer y, though, struggled despite the run support, the righthander giving up six runs on 10 hits and a walk over six frames

Corderias Dorsey entered and tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief, but he departed in the ninth with two on and one out. Ronnie May then issued a walk to load the bases. In came Luft and defensive replacement Christian Rivera, who turned a firstpitch double play grounder at second to preserve NWF State's season.

"I went with the guy that's been here and done it before," Martin said of Luft.

The next inning Rivera led off with a single, Luft laid down the sacrifice bunt, Jarren Pinkney walked and Mack Hathcock singled to load the bases. Tackett followed with a RBI single to right, Monica delivered his third RBI with a sacrifice fly and Shawn Feltner laced a RBI single to right to give Luft a comfortable three-run cushion.

"What I saw was a baseball game that kind of encapsulated our conference season," Martin said. "We were down early, then up, then down again before tying it up and then battling.

"But that's what these kids do. Now we're just going to enjoy this."