Seventeen innings spread across two consecutive days yielded this combined score: Naperville North 8, Naperville Central 8.
That's essentially the margin for error after each team has earned a walk-off victory.
"I'm disappointed (but), man, we competed. This is great baseball. This is (why) we do this," Central coach Bill Seiple said after Tuesday's 5-4 loss at North. "I'm an old man -- my heart's beating 120 mph -- (this) is fun."
Today's series finale at North Central College might not have the same juice or another cardiac ending. That's because there's no share of the DuPage Valley Conference championship at stake.
Wheaton North made sure of that on Wednesday with an 11-7 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South that clinched the title outright.
Still, the Redhawks (20-12 14-6) might get yet another meaningful game against North (22-7, 15-5) on May 30 in a regional final. If the Lockport Sectional seeds are accurate, No. 7 Central, a regional host, would face No. 2 North.
"They're always the hardest to play, because you're best friends with half of them. It's always a lot of fun," Central shortstop Anthony Lopez said of the Huskies. "Any given day you can lose to anybody, you can beat anybody, and that's kind of like the story of our season."
Indeed, less than a month ago the Redhawks were treading water, a game above the .500 mark. This came from a group that was among the final eight teams left standing in last summer's state tournament.
"At the beginning of the season, there was no sense of urgency," Central senior Pat Kaminska said. "We came out kind of lollygagging, thinking we could throw our glove on the field and win ballgames, (but) you find out through the course of the season how (you) really got to come out everyday."
Kaminska has accounted for nearly 50 innings, or almost double the amount anyone else has pitched on the Central staff. Sophomore Dan Ludwig (5-1, 2.24 ERA) has been a pleasant surprise, but a valuable reinforcement might be on the way.
Marc Mantucca (3-1, 2.49 ERA), who hasn't pitched since the WW South series near the end of April, said that he received clearance to throw on Monday after dealing with elbow tendonitis.
Mantucca, who's been used as a designated hitter, was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and hopes to pitch in the playoffs.
"We haven't pitched deep," Seiple said. "Pat's been good for most of the season and Danny's given us a chance. But some of our younger guys that we wanted to jump up and be our (No.) 3, 4, 5 guys -- like Wheaton North has had with (Wade) Cervenka and those guys -- (haven't)."
Central recently snapped Wheaton North's 20-game winning streak and then went out and beat the Falcons the very next day. Until Tuesday, it had won six consecutive games.
"If you look at our lineup card, you're talking about seven juniors and a sophomore (and) it's hard," Seiple said after Monday's 4-3 comeback win over North. "When you're so young, (sometimes) it takes awhile for them to figure (it) out."
Seiple included himself in that assessment. Bobby Czarnowski was juggled in and out of the lineup until a hand injury to Mike Oles forced Czarnowski to stick there. All Czarnowski had done heading into Tuesday was hit .370 with 21 RBI.
The Redhawks think they can play with anyone. After an inconsistent season, next week is the time to prove it.
"I think we'll have a good tournament, though, for sure, because I think we're a tournament-type team," Kaminska said. "We'll turn it up when the time's right."
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