In a tense, bottom-of-the-10th inning standoff in the 2025 NWAC Baseball Championship between Linn-Benton and Tacoma, a pitch from the Titans’ Carson Ackermann whizzed by the left side of home plate, leaving the catcher scrambling to grab the ball as it sped towards the stands.
Roadrunners designated hitter Jake Holmes leapt in the air – the game, once tied 2-2, ended with a 3-2 LBCC victory as the Roadrunners’ Andrew Demianew sprinted from third base and slid into the history books as his teammates sprinted onto the field.
The Linn-Benton baseball program won its third title in the last four seasons on Monday night, May 27 at David Story Field in Longview, Washington, beating the Tacoma Titans 3-2 in extra innings.
With the win, the Linn-Benton baseball program has officially established itself as a modern-day dynasty in the NWAC conference.
The Roadrunners came back from 2-0 down in the eighth inning to eventually win on a wild pitch with bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th.
Linn-Benton almost identically replicated their 2024 NWAC Championship journey after falling to the lower bracket and beating the same Tacoma squad they faced in last year’s championship.
Beaks pitcher Easton Corey earned the win for LBCC, with pitcher Connor Mendez winning tournament MVP honors for his performance earlier in the playoffs.
A longer version of this story will be published in the coming days.
