For eight innings Trent Johnson and the Santa Fe (FL) Saints (42-9, 0-1 at JUCO) were dining like Pirates after finding treasure. However, they faced the three-time NJCAA D1 JUCO World Series champion and No. 4-ranked Iowa Western Reivers (51-13, 1-0 at JUCO) in the tournament’s first game.
Iowa Western and head coach Marc Rardin know that JUCO World Series baseball can be a funny game. For eight innings the Reivers’ couldn’t figure out Johnson on the mound. All of a sudden came the ninth inning, with Iowa Western down 3-1. Johnson had been dealing on the mound with no problems whatsoever. The Saints would turn to their closer Troy Bacon, who claimed 15 saves on the season, arguably one of the better closers in the program history.
Iowa Western, the home team, got their at-bats last in the game. In baseball there’s an old cliche never say die till the last out is recorded, thats exactly the mentality of Iowa Western.
“Baseball is the ideal resemblance of life. Where it’s not going your way that day, it’s a long day. You get some breaks, you don’t get some breaks and you just have to keep living. That’s what we do… that’s why you just keep playing,” Rardin said postgame.
In the bottom of the ninth, after Santa Fe switched pitchers, the heavens on the high seas opened up for the Reivers, seeing them score three runs via two Saints throwing errors.
The Reivers would walk off in game one, 4-3, after being silenced for eight innings. Almost as if, the Reivers’ found unexpected treasure where they weren’t supposed to.
