20 Innings In Jacksonville

It took 2 days and 20 innings, and the catcher was the winning pitcher. When it was all over, the Jacksonville Suns (Dodgers) had defeated the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (Cubs) 5-2.

Saturday's game was suspended in the 4th inning. Suns starter Danny Muegge hadn't allowed a hit in 3-2/3 innings when the skys opened. That meant the two teams would complete the 9-inning game Sunday, then play a 7-inning game. But the 9-inning game would go 20.

When it was over, Muegge's battery mate A. J. Ellis had caught 18 innings before being called into service to pitch in the 19th inning.

It was a career day for Ellis, who collected five of the Suns' 16 hits, drove in a run in the bottom of the 19th inning to tie the score at 2-2 and caught 18 innings before taking the mound.

"That was the most amazing game I've ever played in in my life," Ellis said. "You just don't see that between two Double-A teams, not being able to score runs.

"When I went out there on the mound, my thought was just to throw strikes, make them put the ball in play. If they're going to beat you, make them swing the bats; don't walk them."

Ellis faced 11 batters and issuing just one walk, an intentional one. The Diamond Jaxx loaded the bases on him in the 19th with nobody out, but could only manage one run on a sacrifice fly.

The Suns catcher made up for that run when he laced a single down the right-field line to drive in Gabriel Gutierrez in the bottom half of the inning.

The Suns' run in the 19th inning was their first score since Chin-Lung Hu's home run in the first inning Saturday.

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The game was the longest played at Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in its short 3-year history. The Suns and the Diamond Jaxx play in the Southern League (Double-A).