Florida Memorial Beats Albany State For 2023 Black College World Series Championship

Good things come to those who wait in the case of the Florida Memorial University Lions.

FMU baseball won its first-ever Black College World Series with a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Albany State Rams in Saturday's championship game that lasted 19 innings and more than five hours at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.

It was the longest game in terms of innings in the history of the event and featured excellent pitching and some timely hitting from Gabriel Marinez, who drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 19th frame.

Levis Aguila looked to be the hero when he put the Lions ahead with a home run in the 17th inning, which ended an 11-inning scoring drought for both teams. However, Lavoisier Fisher tied the game in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI single.

It was an important moment for Fisher, who missed a chance to give Albany State the win when he struck out to end the 12th inning with the bases loaded.

The key strikeout was part of a championship effort from Florida Memorial pitching.

Kyle Morrison started the game, but Jamal Johnson allowed a single run and four hits in 9.2 innings of brilliant work. Kevin Feliciano shut the door in the final two-plus innings to clinch the win.

It was the end of a four-day tournament with separate NCAA Division II and NAIA brackets.

On Friday, Albany State clinched the Division II Black College World Series bracket title with an 8-3 win over Edward Waters, while Florida Memorial won the NAIA side with a commanding 13-3 victory over Rust College.

Saturday was a day of second place for Albany State, as Rust College's Shemaar Stapleton won the Home Run Derby that preceded the championship game. Nate Lloyd of the Rams was the runner-up with one fewer home run than the champion.