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OKLAHOMA CITY - Fresno Pacific scored five runs in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings but the game, and ultimately the Sunbirds' season, ended on a sour note as Belhaven once again defeated FPU in extras, 7-6 in 12 innings at the double-elimination Oklahoma City Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round.

Michael Jimenez pitched the game of his life for the Sunbirds, giving the team seven innings of scoreless relief and striking out eight while allowing FPU to finally mount a comeback in the 9th after trailing 6-1 for nearly the entire game.

The Sunbirds appeared to be dead in the water after eight and a half innings of frustrating baseball. The team had put runners on in nearly every inning but had only one run to show for it due to double plays and tough breaks.

Belhaven meanwhile seemed to be getting every bounce to go its way and by the 3rd inning had built a 6-1 lead. Ryan Castadio started for FPU but only faced four batters and had to be relieved by David Hawes, who would eventually give way to Jimenez.

With their season in danger of ending in the bottom of the 9th, the FPU bats suddenly found some life in them and put together an improbable comeback that left the crowd and the Belhaven dugout stunned.

Alec Mehrten got it going with a single and with Alex Santacruz running for him, he was able to score on a double by Karlan Andrews. After a strikeout put the Blazers two outs away from victory, Michael Vaughn took a pitch off the helmet, thankfully an off-speed pitch, that gave him first base.

Trent Soares then hit what looked to be a game-ending double play ball but it took a tough hop and he beat it out for an infield single to load the bases. That brought the tying run to the plate and prompted Belhaven lifted starting pitcher Brandon McHenry in favor of closer Josh Clarke.

Scott Laird, with his patient approach, was exactly who the Sunbirds wanted up in that situation and he worked a 3-2 count before smacking a double down the line in left to make it a 6-4 game. Wes Dorrell took a different approach with a similar result, smacking the first pitch he saw from Clark into left field.

Soares scored to make it 6-5 and Blaine Taylor, who was running for Laird, was waved around and called out at home on a very close play at the plate. That took a lot of excitement out of the Sunbirds' dugout, as they were now one out away from the season ending with the tying run at first.

Patrick Bariteau pinch-ran though and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Andrew Douglas stepped in and after fouling a couple pitches off and getting down to his final strike, the senior took an 0-2 pitch and hit it up the middle to tie the game with Bariteau scoring easily from second.

FPU now had a major chance to eliminate the Blazers right then and there as Tyler Pryor was hit by a pitch, Douglas stole third and Mehrten walked to load the bases. But Clarke was able to get Andrews to strike out swinging and send the game to extra innings.

There, Jimenez continued to deal for FPU and when he got into some trouble Michael Rivera came in and was just as effective. Jimenez threw 99 pitches on the day, by far a career-high. The Sunbirds put a man on in the 11th, but Douglas was caught stealing to end the inning.

Belhaven would get two singles in the 12th and then with two outs, DH Anthony Doss delivered his fifth hit of the game, a ball that was crushed off the wall in right to put the Blazers ahead. Rivera struck out the Belhaven cleanup hitter with two on, but FPU was now in a high-pressure situation again as they needed to tie it.

Pryor gave the ball a ride to start the bottom half of the inning but the wind knocked it down and it went as a flyout. Mehrten then grounded out before Andrews extended the season with a single up the middle. Ryan Acevedo then popped up to second base and that would be all for the Sunbirds.

Jon Patino earned the win for the Blazers, throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen after getting lit up by the Sunbirds in Thursday's game. Doss finished 5-for-6 to lead BU and Jimmy Gilford went 3-for-6.

Laird and Douglas each finished with three hits for FPU in what was, for Douglas, the final game of a stellar four-year career. Dorrell, Mehrten and Andrews each had two hits.

A win would have given FPU a shot at top-seed Oklahoma City later today, but instead the Sunbirds' season ends at 32-21. Belhaven, worn out from two long high-stakes games with FPU, had nothing left in Saturday's second game as they fell to Oklahoma City 15-0. OCU advances to the NAIA College World Series.

It was the final collegiate game for 10 FPU seniors, a class that won a lot of games and will go down as one of the most talented groups in school history. Pryor, Douglas and Dorrell will be especially hard to replace and the team will likely lose Jesse Darrah to the MLB draft.

The Sunbirds can count on a talented group coming back though, including Matt Mazzoni in the rotation, Rivera and Greg Kilgore in the bullpen, Vaughn at catcher, Andrews in the outfield and an exceptional left side of the infield in Mehrten and Laird.

Check fpuathletics.com on June 6 through June 8 for coverage of the MLB Amateur Draft as we look to see where Darrah, and hopefully others, will end up.