Last night was a game for the ages. And I'm not talking about World Series Game 3.

The Faculty/Staff intramural softball team at MidAmerica has had their best season yet. We went 8-1 in the regular season, our only loss coming by one run to juggernaut Love Potion #9. They went undefeated through the regular season, so they clinched the top spot in the playoffs, and we got the two seed. Both of us won our first two playoff games (double-elimination format), so we faced off last night for the chance to play in the championship. The winner would move directly to the championship, while the loser would have to face an elimination game immediately following last night's game.

As the lower seed, we were the visitors, and we put up two quick runs in the 1st. They tallied one in their half, and the score stayed that way until the 4th. During that inning, our pitcher (a 70-year old woman; each team has at least two girls) gave up her first walk of the season, and they strung together a few more hits to take the lead, 5-2. In the top of the 5th they shut us down, then added a bases clearing double to the gap in left-center to make it 8-2. Our season was crumbling before our eyes.

In our half of the 6th we pushed two runs across to make it 8-4, and had a couple nice defensive plays in the bottom half to keep the score that way headed to the final inning. The 70-year old woman was leading off, and she dinked a single over shortstop. Our best hitter, Steve, was next, and he rung one to the wall in right-center, but because Barb (the 70-year old pitcher) isn't exactly fleet afoot, it was only a single. Next was the leadoff hitter, Yort. He reached on an infield single to load the bases, with no one out, and the 2-3-4 hitters coming to the plate. Luke was next up, and he popped up harmlessly. 1 away. Then came me. I strode to the plate with one thing on my mind: Tie this game. I took one pitch, then drove the next one deep to left field...but foul. The next pitch was a beauty, and I took a mighty swing, but I got under it. Flyout to the warning track in left, and, with Barb on third, she couldn't tag and score. 2 outs. I walked slowly back to the dugout and buried my head in my hands. Paul, the clean-up hitter, was our last hope. I looked up from my sulking just in time to see him drive the first pitch deep to right-center and GONE! A GRAND SLAM! WITH TWO OUTS IN THE LAST INNING! I couldn't believe what I had seen. Our next hitter, Rus, hammered a double into the left-center field gap and scored on two throwing errors. We had taken the lead in the last inning, but we still had to hold them.

Heading to the bottom of the 7th with a 9-8 lead, they had the top of the order up. The lead off man hit a single to take a little momentum back to their side. After a grounder to third forced him out, the next man got a single, so they had runners on first and second with one out. The cleanup hitter popped up to me in shallow center, and the runners could not advance. Two down. Alas, there was more softball to be played. The next man singled, scoring a run. They had first and second again, this time with two outs, and now it was a tie game, 9-9. Their next hitter got a single to left, which was scooped up by our left fielder (who has a torn rotator cuff in his throwing arm). They were sending the man from second...there was going to be a play at the plate. Steve launched the ball and it dribbled across the infield in perfect line with the plate. The catcher scooped it out of the dirt and tagged the runner..........OUT! He threw out the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. Huge. Extra innings.

With the 9-9 tie, we had Steve, our best hitter leading off, followed by the top of the order. Steve doubled to right-center, but the leadoff man lined out to short for the first out. Luke singled Steve home and advanced to second on the throw. I was next, and I doubled to left, scoring Luke. Paul, the hero from the 7th inning, was behind me, and he homered again for his seventh RBI of the evening and a 13-9 lead for us. We tacked on one more before heading to the bottom of the 8th. We retired them in order in the 8th for the victory!

So the Faculty/Staff team advances to the championship game next Tuesday. Love Potion #9, the most dominant team in the league all season, was clearly disheartened by our dramatic comeback victory. In the elimination game that ensued, they fell to the Ducks in the Hole, 10-7, ending their season. We will meet Ducks in the Hole next Tuesday for the title, and they'll have to beat us twice to win it.

I think ESPN Classic has already called for the footage.