Friday’s crosstown baseball showdown between Abilene High and Cooper took 11 innings and nearly three hours to decide. But by the end of the epic affair, the visiting Cougars found themselves celebrating a near perfect night at Blackburn Field.

In addition to outlasting their archrival for a thrilling 8-7 win — their fifth victory in a row after a 1-8 start to District 4-5A play — the Coogs (12-13, 6-8) got the results they were looking for in both of the district’s other two matchups, pulling within a game of Lubbock Monterey for league’s fourth and final playoff spot with four games remaining.

Monterey (12-15-1, 7-7) fell 3-2 to now-sole district leader Lubbock Cooper, while Lubbock Coronado (12-16, 6-8) fell by the same score to last-place Lubbock High, adding an extra layer of satisfaction to Cooper’s marathon win over the Eagles.