Look: Nationally ranked Sinton loses in record-long Texas (UIL) high school state baseball semifinals

Watch the dramatic four-run China Springs burst in the 12th inning

AUSTIN, Texas — After 11 stalemate innings, China Spring's bats came alive against Sinton, the nation's No. 3 ranked team.

The Cougars rattled off two consecutive squeezes and a two-run double to left field to pull ahead and beat the defending state champion Pirates 8-4 in the UIL Class 4A finals on Wednesday.

The 12-inning saga became the longest game ever played in the 4A state tournament. 

In the top of the 12th, China Spring scored runners from third with suicide squeezes on consecutive at-bats — a Braxton Bowers bunt scored Daniel and Dillon Bowers bunted to score Black. That put the Cougars up 6-4, until senior Mason Kirk drilled a two-run double to left field to give the winning margin.

China Spring (36-5-1) will play for the 4A championship at 6:30 p.m. Thursday - also at UFCU Disch-Falk Field - against Texarkana Liberty-Eylau, which beat Canyon Randall in Wednesday’s other semifinal.

Scroll up to the top of the post for highlights from the game, as well as China Spring's four-run burst in the 12th inning. 

Video is by SBLive's Andrew McCulloch and the NFHS Network.

🚨FINAL/12 innings🚨

China Spring 8
Sinton 4

Sparked by a four-run rally in extra innings highlighted by a two-run double and suicide squeeze, the Cougars rally for a win in the longest 4A state tourney #TXHSBaseball game ever played

China Spring (36-5-1) advances to face… pic.twitter.com/eVSAGcbHDE

— Andrew McCulloch (@ByAndyMcCulloch) June 8, 2023

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