One moment anticipation, and the next, bam.

For Wilkinson County Christian Academy, time seemed to move in slow motion with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Fans and players alike took a deep breath in, and didn’t exhale until a hit from Bennett Vannoy toppled over the right field fence in Friday night’s matchup with Porter’s Chapel.

Vannoy’s two-run homer had enough force to send the game into extra frames, but the Rams’ overall effort fell short, 10-9, in eight innings.

“That was a great game,” WCCA coach Mac Newcomb said. “That’s what baseball is all about. I’m proud of them for not giving up, but we beat ourselves.”

Cullin Hendry scored the final run for the Rams on a sacrifice fly from R.J. Fisher, but WCCA ultimately could never get the edge it needed after committing five errors.

“We just have to keep getting better,” Newcomb said. “It’s nothing fancy.”

Porter’s Chapel got into an early offensive rhythm and took a strong 5-2 lead through four innings.

Before Vannoy’s first home run of the season, however, the Rams tied the game in the sixth inning, 6-6. It was a two-RBI single from C.T. Smith to score Vannoy and Hutch Holden that did the trick in the hopeful comeback.

Vannoy ended the night batting 3-for-5 as the only multiple hitter for WCCA with two RBIs and three runs scored.

“You have to prepare, and when you make mistakes you don’t always win,” Newcomb said. “We have heart. We are just making mental errors.”

Newcomb said despite having a young team with just three seniors, he is confident the Rams can learn from their mistakes.

“That’s just the way it goes, and in the end it’s just a game,” he said. “We are not going to give up, and we are going to continue to fight.”

WCCA (2-10, 2-4) will be back in action Monday when it takes on Clinton Christian at home for senior night.