(Winter Haven, FL) - For those who think an early season baseball game between two teams located half a country apart from one another, playing at a neutral site, who might never play each other again, does not have meaning, you might want to watch more carefully. It was the kind of game where every pitch had meaning, every swing of the bat brought with it an opportunity to change the game, and as an exhilarating final two innings unfolded, not a single player, coach, or spectator was seated. When the dust settled on a 14-13 Westchester Community College win over Lansing Community College , the nation's 12th-ranked team, Westchester had not only pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NJCAA Baseball thus far this season, but they sent a message that the 2020 version of the Vikings can play the game as well as anybody out there.

Not bad for the second full week of the season.

Freshman Jace Deiulio (Mohegan Lake, NY/Lakeland HS) went 3 for 4 with three runs scored, and sophomores Tyler Mandel (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale HS) and Hailyn Gonzalez (Bronx, NY/Bronx Envision Academy) scored two runs apiece as Westchester staged the most improbable of comebacks to achieve the most incredible of victories. After dropping the opener of the doubleheader, 13-2, Westchester allowed nine straight runs over four innings, and trailed 9-2 heading into the top of the sixth inning, hoping to get any kind of offensive rhythm going to avoid a second consecutive game shortened by run differential. About an hour later, after 10 Vikings crossed home plate, the game had changed completely, as had Westchester's fortunes for the seasons in terms of the Vikings being a competitor on the national level.

Sophomore Brian McBride (Putnam Valley, NY/Putnam Valley HS) began the rally with a single to left center. The next four Viking batters were either walked or hit by a pitch, scoring two runs to make it 9-4. Mandel singled home Brian Beehler (Pawling, NY/Pawling HS) to make it 9-5. Gonzalez then singled home a run to make it 9-6, before Pardo walked home a run, and then Ken Hernandez (New York, NY/CENAPEC) and McBride singled home runs.

And that's when things got really interesting.

With Beehler at the plate and the bases loaded, the Vikings attempted a suicide squeeze play with Pardo at third base. However, the Lansing pitcher failed to cooperate, throwing the pitch behind Beehler, but allowing Pardo to steal home to give Westchester a 10-9 lead. From there, Westchester scored two more times on wild pitches, to leave the inning with a 12-9 lead. Westchester's 10-run sixth inning came on five hits and four walks.

Ever the national power, Lansing did not go quietly. After Westchester scored twice during the top of the seventh inning to make it 14-9, the Stars rallied for four runs in the bottom of the frame, and had the winning runs on base before sophomore Jake Jempty (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas HS) shut the door for his first save of the season, and starting as wild of a celebration as can exist for a game in early March.

Four Viking pitchers combined for the win, with freshman John Peteani (Yonkers, NY/Saunders HS) earning his first career win. The Vikings combined for 10 hits and nine walks, with McBride going 2 for 2 with two runs scored - all of which came during the sixth inning rally - Deiulio reached base four times, and Pardo had two RBI's. Westchester also stole five bases.

The opener saw Westchester felled by some defensive struggles as the Vikings allowed five unearned runs. The Stars scored the game's first six runs, before Westchester scored twice in the bottom of the third inning on a Mandel single that scored Deiulio and Jhojandy Hernandez (Bronx, NY/Salesian) to make it 6-2. But that was as close as Westchester would get as Lansing scored a run in the fourth inning, and sixth more in the fifth inning to clinch the win. Mandel went 2 for 3, while Gonzalez and Beehler had one hit apiece.

Westchester Community College returns to action on Tuesday, March 10 when the Vikings face SUNY Adirondack for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. The games will take place at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Florida.