IRVINE – The Ryan Lemmon Invitational championship game was a grinding battle Thursday night.
Marina and Long Beach Millikan traded strikeouts, infield singles and double plays as the game headed into the 11th inning.
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 11th, Griffin Hennessey worked a bases-loaded walk to win the game for Marina, 3-2, over Millikan at Ryan Lemmon Stadium.
Marina pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts and Millikan (14-5, 1-2) struck out 12.
Marina (12-9) threatened to score with bases-loaded opportunities in the eighth and 10th.
In the 10th with one out, Chase Sebby popped a bunt to Millikan pitcher Diego Alarcon who threw to third for the inning-ending double play.
Marina jumped on Millikan early in the game as the Vikings got on the board with their short game in the second.
Sebby legged out an infield single and worked around the bases with a walk and wild pitch before scoring on a groundout by Will Pingle.
Joseph Waked, who got on base with the walk, extended Marina’s lead to 2-0 with an acrobatic move.
With two outs in the second and Waked on third, a wild pitch by Millikan starter Jacob Hughey got by Rams catcher Eddie Cervantes and wound up near the backstop. Without hesitation, Waked sprinted toward the plate, jumped over Cervantes and landed behind the batter’s box. Waked dove back to touch the plate for the run.
Hughey threw six innings and allowed two runs on three hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.
On the mound for Marina, Steven Gingery was cruising into the fifth when Millikan led off with a hit batter.
Millikan used two singles to load the bases with one out and Gingery hit a second batter to send Alarcon home for Millikan’s first run. Hughey scored on a fielder’s choice in the next at-bat to tie the score, 2-2.
Gingery went seven innings, allowing two runs and seven hits. He struck out eight.
Shadi Asad earned the victory for Marina with three innings pitched. He allowed one hit and had three strikeouts.
