Griffins gain wild win in 11 long innings

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: February 7, 2024

2024 GROSSMONT COLLEGE BASEBALL

ECS staff report

IRVINE — This wasn’t the longest game in Grossmont College baseball history. It wasn’t the highest-scoring game,and it definitely wasn’t the most dramatic.

However, when you’re an 0-4 ballclub still searching for any sort of pitching, Grossmont was more than happy to somehow take a very strange victory over host Irvine Valley College, 19-15 in 11 innings, at the IVC baseball complex.

The 4-hour, 55-minute marathon — not counting a couple of rain delays — took its toll on the home plate umpire, who needed to call his owntimeout in the middle of the mess.

Still, the final result proved quite predictable thanks to the bottom third of the Griffins batting order.

With two outs in the 11th, a single by No. 7 batter Spencer Dais was followed by Corby Corlett reaching on an error to place runners on the corners.

No. 9 hitter Noah Young came to the plate, but a wild pitch scoed Davis with the go-ahead run. Moments ater,

Afyter Young reached, Grossmont first baseman Michael Sweeney 1b drilled a 4-run double to right field for the margin of victory.

For Sweeney, it was his third double on the (long) day. Jacob Embleton also homered as part of a massive 6-RBI performance, and Young added a triple for Grossmont.

Meanwhile, after the host Lazers scored once in the 8th to force extra innings, the Griffins bullpen took command for the first time all season by firing 3 1/3 frames of standout ball.

The final three innings were fired by Sebastian Granados, who yielded just one hit while registering strikeouts on 8 of the other 9 batters in a dominate performance.

Granados, the final of seven Griffins relievers, earned the victory.

Grossmont (1-4 overall) is lsated to play at Thursday (Jan. 7) doubleheader at Riverside, starting at noon. Irvine Valley fell to 3-2 on the season.