Baseball marathon: How did Trinity Christian win 13-inning epic?

Through four hours and 35 minutes of baseball, through 13 innings, through descending smoke from wildfires and rising water from sprinklers, Brady Harris had waited for one moment. "I knew when it left the bat, it had a good chance," Harris said. "And it was pure joy after that.

" Jacksonville has its high school baseball game of the year, and Trinity Christian (20-7) has its Florida High School Athletic Association District 3-2A championship, holding off Bishop Snyder in an 11-10, 13-inning epic on April 18. When Florida-signed senior center fielder Harris smacked a hard fly to left, JaRod Flowers dashed home to beat the throw of the Cardinals' Cody Boshell for the winning run off the sac fly in the bottom of the 13th, triggering Conqueror celebrations at the stroke of midnight and ending an evening of dizzying twists and turns. Including a 13th-inning sprinkler delay, on a night so long that even the teams could barely keep track.

"When they stopped showing them on the scoreboard [past 10 innings], you start to lose count," Trinity Christian head coach Jon Murphy said. On the Conquerors' road back from a five-run deficit, the heroes were many, including gritty outings from infielders-turned-relievers Jordan Martinez and Parker Loew. The two LSU commits combined to pitch the last seven innings, limiting Bishop Snyder to two runs.

Even when the Cardinals pushed ahead in the top of the ninth on a solo homer from Ilias Mamea, it wasn't game over: Down to their last out, Trinity stayed alive when Aiden Arnett singled to tie it 10-10 in the bottom of the frame. Loew and Chris Reali finished with three hits apiece. Bishop Snyder (19-6) built a quick 8-3 lead, punishing Trinity miscues with four RBI from shortstop Tripp Hannah and a three-run home run from two-way senior Cole Dennis.