Game shots from the Meridian Community College vs. Delgado Community College baseball game.

    Meridian Community College has made a habit out of making things interesting.

    And the Eagles continued that trend Friday in the NJCAA Division I Region 23 tournament at Scaggs Field. Down a run against rival Delgado entering the bottom of the ninth, the Eagles got a home run from Wade Wass to tie it and then a bases-loaded hit batter to down the Dolphins 8-7 in the tournament opener. It was Meridian’s 14th one-run win of the year. Delgado then rebounded to beat Baton Rouge 9-8 before the Eagles eliminated the second-seeded Bears with a 6-5 win in 14 innings in the nightcap. Meridian and Delgado play today at 1 p.m. The Eagles (35-20) would win the region title with a win, while a Dolphin win would lead to a 1 p.m. game Sunday.

    “We’ve been in that position a lot this year, coming back and have walked off five or six times,” Wass said. “So being down one run in the bottom of the ninth, we’re not going to panic.

    “It was just trying to get everybody on base.”

    It was the sophomore catcher who led the latest dramatics. After falling behind 0-2 against Delgado starter Corey Thomas, Wass unloaded. He deposited the game-tying home run — his NJCAA-leading 22nd of the season — over the fence in left-center.

    “What can you say about Wade Wass?” MCC coach Chris Curry said. “It’s regional. It’s a one-run game. Bottom of the ninth. He walks up and just smokes one.”

    Added Wass: “I was just looking for just smokes one.”

    Added Wass: “I was just looking for something in the zone. I had chased a pitch out of the zone, so I was just making sure not to do that again. I got a pitch up, and I was right on it.”

    Once Wass tied it, the Eagles just kept rolling. Gabe Woods followed with a popup to shallow center that landed in between a pair of Dolphins and the second baseman, hustling out of the box, ended up with a double on the play to end Thomas’ day. Meridian High product Dallas Hannah greeted new Delgado pitcher John DeArmond with a single to left field and after Alvin Franklin was walked intentionally, DeArmond hit Samuel Peterson with an 0-1 pitch.

    “It’s a tribute to our players and how hard they work,” Curry said. “They battled.

    “The guys did their jobs and got on base and won the game.”

    MCC had the chance for its latest comeback thanks to the efforts of Michael Manley out of the bullpen. Wes Stokes, the West Lauderdale product and MCC ace, battled through 6 1-3 innings, leaving after Delgado had regained the lead 7-6 on an RBI single from Logan Jones. It was the 12th hit the Dolphins had against Stokes, who entered with a 2.35 ERA and only 63 hits allowed in 72 2-3 innings.

    “Wes has carried us through the whole year,” Wass said. “Game 1, we know he’s on the bump and is going to give us at least six or seven solid innings, if not a complete game.

    “When he didn’t do it (Friday), we had no doubt that someone would come in and get the job done.”

    Enter Manley.

    After Jones advanced to second when Hannah couldn’t corral a pickoff throw, the sophomore right-hander struck out the next two Dolphins to end the threat. He then retired Delgado in order in the eighth, including two more strikeouts, before allowing a one-out single to Bubby Riley in the ninth. However, Daniel Brockhoeft lined out to second and Riley was doubled off, giving the MCC offense its final chance.

    “Wes Stokes didn’t have his A game and give credit to Delgado, they swung the bats,” Curry said. “But he kept us in it and close enough and then the man on the mound, Michael Manley, was just lights out.”

    Added Manley: “I knew I had to come in and throw strikes. I knew my defense was going to do work behind me and I just needed to throw strikes and we’d have a chance.”

    MCC, which fell behind 2-0 after lone tallies from Delgado in the third and fourth innings, took its first lead in the fifth. Blake Barrow was hit by a Thomas pitch to open the frame and then beat a throw to second on a Jonathan Youngblood grounder to put two on. Kasey Hinton then drew a walk in front of Johnny Tolson, who ripped a double off the wall in left-center to put MCC up 3-2. After moving to third on a passed ball, Tolson scored on Wass’ infield single. Wass later scored on Hannah’s sacrifice fly to center.

    However, Delgado answered right back. The Dolphins ripped Stokes for five hits in the sixth inning, including an RBI double from Michael Bruno and Sean McMullen’s two-run double that put Delgado back in front 6-5.

    That lead was short-lived as Hinton, a Clarkdale product, hit his first career home run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game again.

Meridian    6

Baton Rouge    5

    The Eagles finally ended the four-hour marathon in the 14th inning to eliminate Baton Rouge.

    In the final inning, MCC loaded the bases with two outs for Hannah, who drilled a long fly ball just out of the reach of the BRCC center fielder on the warning track for the game-winning hit and MCC’s 15th one-run win of the year.

    Meridian only had that chance thanks once again to Wass. After the Bears took advantage of an MCC error in the 10th to take a 5-3 lead, Wass answered with a two-run blast to keep the Eagles alive.

    The home run was Wass’ 23rd home run of the season, one shy of Tyler Vick’s school record set in 2009. It also gives Wass 67 RBIs, just three behind Vick’s mark.