LSUS Pilots tarnish North Georgia Saints, 14-13 in 11
05/12/05

In a wild marathon Thursday afternoon, the LSUS Pilots defeated the North Georgia University Saints 14-13 in 11 innings in the third round of the NAIA Region XIII Baseball Tournament at Pilots Field.

LSUS gave up five runs in the top of the first, but roared back with seven of their own in the bottom of the first. A quiet second inning for both teams followed the 72-minute first inning. LSUS struck again in the third for one run, giving the Pilots an 8-5 lead.

The Saints tagged the Pilots for three in the fourth to tie the game at 8-8, then hammered the hometown heroes for two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to make the score 12-8 Saints. Meanwhile, the Pilots went down in order in the fourth and fifth and were held scoreless in the sixth.

But, the Pilots fought back again, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh, making the score 13-12, where it stayed until the top of the ninth, when North Georgia scored one run with two outs to tie the game.

LSUS had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but failed to convert, sending the already lengthy game into extra innings.

Neither side mounted a serious threat in the 10th, and North Georgia went down in order in the top of the 11th. Finally, after 4 hours and 40 minutes in the blistering afternoon sun, LSUS got a runner across the plate from third on a fly ball with one out.

The Pilots will play the University of Mobile Rams on Friday at either 12 Noon or 3:30 p.m., and the Lee University Flames will play the Auburn-Montgomery Senators in the other day game. Game times will be determined by the outcome of the Lee-Mobile game which began at 9:45 p.m. Thursday.

The tournament, hosted by LSUS, is sponsored by CHRISTUS Schumpert Health System and the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

Complete tournament coverage is available on the Web site: www.region13baseballtournament.com.