CANTON, N.Y.—One of the greatest things about baseball is that there is no clock.
 
It can also be one of the most frightening. 
 
After scoring nine runs in the first inning, and eventually leading the game 15-4 after five innings, the Houghton Highlanders (13-20, 3-13 Empire 8) held on (in heart attack fashion) to defeat the SUNY Canton Roos (7-24, 2-13 Empire 8), 15-14.
 
Houghton sent 16 batters to the plate in the first inning, collecting six hits, two walks and two hit-by-pitch.
 
David Wessells, who led off the game with a triple off the right field wall, later collected his second hit of the inning by sending the first homerun of his college career over the wall.
 
The Highlanders added two more runs in the third to increase their lead to 11-0, but the Roos responded in the bottom half of the inning with four runs of their own.
 
Houghton scratched two runs back in the top of the fourth when Bryan Hodge laced a double to left-center, scoring Garret Kirkpatrick, and later scored on a wild pitch. 
 
With one out in the top of the fifth Nicholas Melchiore and Taylor Huntsman nailed back-to-back homeruns to right, increasing the Houghton lead to 15-4.
 
But there is no clock in baseball, and the Houghton still needed 15 more outs.  The Roos would make that task as difficult as possible.
 
Canton collected three runs in the sixth on only one hit then plated four more in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the Houghton lead to 15-11.
 
After the Highlanders went down in order in the top of the ninth, the Roos put two runners on with one out for junior Wilson Matos, who sent a long fly ball over the left field wall.
 
With the score now 15-14 in favor of the Highlanders, Carl Holmes induced a groundout to Jeremy Newswanger then struck out the final batter on a back-door breaking ball.
 
Wessells finished a double shy of the cycle and Huntsman went 3-for-4 with two walks.  Melchiore, Hodge, Newswanger and Ethan Duryea all added two hits apiece for the Highlanders.
 
Coach's Corner:
"I think I lost a few years off my life at the end of this one.  We certainly made it interesting. 
 
"Canton can definitely hit.  John Kopicky held them down for a long time, but they never quit.  I'm just really proud of my guys for hanging in there and pulling this one out." –Coach Brian Reitnour
 
Next Time Out:
Houghton squares off with SUNY Canton again tomorrow for their final two games of the year.  First pitch is slated for 12:00 p.m.