Two high school baseball teams made history in a 23-inning affair over two days in Texas.
On Saturday, Midland (Midland, Texas) defeated Odessa (Odessa, Texas) 4-3 in a game that fell just two innings shy of the national record for the longest American high school baseball game of all time. But Midland’s victory over Odessa still managed to finish tied for the third-longest high school baseball game, per the National Federation of State High School Associations.
It was also the longest game in Texas high school history.
The two teams played 13 innings on Friday before play was suspended. They finished the game on Saturday.
Per Kayler Smith, the sports director of KMID, the game lasted 25.5 hours.
BREAKING: Midland High beats Odessa 4-3 after 23 innings and 25-and-a-half hours. This marks the longest game in Texas UIL history (previously 22 innings).@AthleticsMISD | @MHSDawgBsbl https://t.co/0yImT96gqE
— Kayler Smith – KMID (@KaylerSmithTV) April 20, 2024
Midland and Odessa are rivals across multiple sports. But their baseball rivalry is particularly intense. Josh Hulin, Midland’s coach, had been Odessa’s coach for nine years before he left to accept the same job at Midland in 2022.