When No. 25 Kent State saw it was set to face No. 11 Kentucky in their NCAA Tournament Regional, the Golden Flashes must have known they were in for a tough matchup. Little did they know that matchup would last 21 innings.
Kent State Vs. Kentucky Final Score: Kent State Wins In 21 Innings
Kent State and Kentucky battled for 21 innings before Kent State finally prevailed 7-6.
By the end of the 6 hours, 37 minutes affair, one of the longest games in NCAA Tournament history, Kent State finally held on to a lead in the 21st inning to win, 7-6.
Kent State scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning and still led, 5-4, going into the bottom of the ninth. Kentucky rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.
The two teams traded zeroes for eight innings before Kent State took a 6-5 lead in the 18th inning. Again Kentucky rallied in the bottom of the inning and knot it up. More zeroes were issued before Kent State again took a one-run lead in the top of the 21st. This time, Kentucky didn’t have a response.
The game lasted more than 6 hours, with the teams combining for 38 hits.
The longest baseball game in NCAA tournament history was Boston College-Texas in 2009, at 25 innings.
For more on Kentucky baseball, visit SB Nation’s Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue.
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