EASTLAKE, Ohio (AP) — Birmingham-Southern’s magnificent, magical ride ended in heartbreak.
The Panthers’ inspiring postseason run, which came as the liberal arts college in Alabama was being shut down for financial failure after more than 160 years, ended on Sunday with an 11-10 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Division III College World Series.
It’s a painful finish for a never-say-die team that had brought so much joy to the school’s tight-knit community while captivating the hearts of American sports fans who could relate to the Panthers’ story mixed with loss and pride.
Birmingham-Southern built a 10-5 lead through six innings, but couldn’t put away Wisconsin-Whitewater, which scored two runs in the seventh, three in the eighth and got a walk-off homer from Sam Paden leading off the ninth.
Someone had to be the villain.
When Paden’s homer dropped well behind the wall in left, several Birmingham-Southern players stood still as if frozen in disbelief.
2 people have died in floods in southern Germany. The situation remains tense
Norwegians facing a shortage as Easter nears are hoarding eggs from neighboring Sweden
Benefit sanctions to ramp up with 'work check
Posts share synthetic image of Ukrainian drone attack as real
Woman pleads guilty to negligent homicide in death of New York anti
NZ Foreign Minister urges Israel not to begin Rafah ground offensive
How brown rats crawled off ships and conquered North American cities
Federal data does not show a soaring number of unauthorized migrants registering to vote
Nearly 1,000 people honor a young Ukrainian journalist and volunteer combat medic killed in action
How brown rats crawled off ships and conquered North American cities
Tears hits big home run and Tennessee rolls into super regionals with 12
Allergy season arrived early in US. Here's why, what you can do