After 11 innings, four hours and two different fields, the varsity baseball team defeated Canyon last night, 5-4.

The game started at Randall with senior Duncan Bowles on the mound. Unbeaten this season and coming off a 12-0 no-hitter pitching performance against Dumas last week, the Raiders had full confidence in Bowles. Randall took a 3-0 lead in the second inning with a RBI single from Payton Bush. Bowles kept the Eagles scoreless through the third inning, but Canyon scored two runs in the fourth and tied up the game in the fifth.

Senior Alex Massey came in as relief for Bowles in the sixth inning. After Massey hit a Canyon batter with a pitch, the Eagles hit a double to right center to score a run and take the lead, 3-4. However, the Raiders battled back in the bottom of the sixth when senior Mason Gilbert led off with a double and scored on a ground out hit by senior Logan Tice. With the game tied, 4-4, the two teams remained tied through the seventh inning, forcing the game into extra innings.

The two teams battled through the eighth, ninth and 10th innings with neither team managing to score. That’s when the umpires declared the unlit Randall stadium too dark to play and stopped the game. Faced with having to complete the game on another day, the two CISD head coaches and CISD Athletic Director Toby Tucker arranged a venue change to a stadium with lights. Within minutes, West Texas A&M University unlocked their field and powered on the electricity, players packed up their gear and Raider and Eagle fans loaded in their cars and drove the 10 miles on I-27 in bumper-to-bumper, caravan style.

The teams started the 11th inning at the Buff’s Wilder Park Stadium with senior Logan Tice taking the mound for the Raiders. Tice, a right-handed side-arm pitcher, shut down the Eagles in the inning, allowing only one hit, no walks and no scores. In the bottom of the 11th, with the Raiders at bat, it looked like the game might go into a 12th inning. However, with two outs and no Raiders on base, the Canyon pitcher walked junior Hagen Shedd creating some momentum for Randall. A couple of wild pitches and two intentional walks later, Canyon loaded the bases. It was Tice’s turn at bat. It was him against the Canyon pitcher, and the outcome would determine if the Raiders won the game, or the Eagles escaped and forced another inning. Fans sat on the edge of their seats as Tice awaited the pitch. The wind up came, the ball hurled toward home plate and Tice made contact, singling to right for the Raiders and bringing Shedd in to score. 5-4. The Raiders had defeated the Eagles to win arguably the most memorable, marathon, rival game in school history.

Yesterday’s win over Canyon came after a 5-3 win over West Plains last Saturday. The Raiders are currently ranked No. 3 in state, and have a record of 17-3 for the season and 3-0 in district. The Raiders will take the field again this Friday in a 5 p.m. home game against Hereford.