In a thrilling 12-inning battle on the diamond, the Long Beach City College Vikings triumphed over the Fullerton College Hornets with a dramatic 6-5 walk-off victory.

Max Sasaki (2-0) displayed his expertise on the mound, clinching the win by shutting down the Hornets in the final three innings, allowing only three hits while striking out four batters. Myles Dismute, the starting pitcher, held firm for the first six innings, conceding just four hits and three runs while striking out three opponents.

The Hornets struck first, tallying a run in the opening frame. However, the Vikings answered back in the bottom of the third when second baseman Reef Danner smashed an RBI single, driving in right fielder Davis Grawey to even the score at 1-1.

Fullerton surged ahead with a homer in the top of the fourth, but the Vikings quickly retaliated. Designated hitter AJ Quezada delivered an RBI single to bring in first baseman Ryan Geck. Then, left fielder Brett Abudayyeh executed a daring steal of home, propelling the Vikings to a 3-2 lead.

Maintaining their momentum, the Vikings struck again in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI hit from Danner and a home run to left field by catcher Luke Davis.

However, the Hornets fought back, adding three runs in the final three innings to deadlock the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.

In the decisive 12th inning, with two outs and Ryan Geck stationed on third base; he capitalized on a passed ball from the Hornets' catcher, crossing the plate for the winning run and securing the 6-5 victory in walk-off fashion.

"This was a great win for us, giving us momentum to start the conference schedule," said Head Coach Casey Crook. "Being able to win games late continues to be a big strength of this team. I was happy to see very good pitching performances from Myles Dismute and Max Sasaki."

The Vikings will hit the field again on Feb. 20, facing off against Pasadena City College at 2 p.m. in the first South Coast Conference game of the season.