With three runners on base, two outs, down by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning and a three-game winning streak on the line, the baseball team failed to execute a walk-off win during a 1-0 loss against Mendocino College (8-8 overall) on the Baseball Field on Thursday.

The Comets, (3-11 overall) gained momentum after the seventh inning with five runners finding their way to the base path on two hits a walk and a wild pitch.

The intensity climaxed in the ninth inning when Comet shortstop London Pendland was caught in a rundown between third and home and instead of running toward home plate in hopes of scoring the tying run. Pendland ran back to third and was forced back toward home.

The shortstop was eventually tagged out in a squeeze play to end the game.

Pitcher Jake Dent threw a complete game for CCC , while allowing one earned run, no walks and striking out five Eagle batters.

In his best pitching performance of the season, the Comet bats failed to bring any run support for Dent.

Assistant coach Michael Felder said, “Our pitchers threw strikes and their pitchers threw strikes, but in the end, it came down to execution.”

The only score of the game came in the third inning as Dent surrendered a hit to Eagle center fielder Jacob Alvedirez. The single scored left fielder Karter Kimberly who reached base on a fielder’s choice.

After three innings Mendocino led 1-0.

Being down by only one run for the rest of the game, the Comets played small-ball to piece together plays and advance runners on base toward home.

However, all the Comet attempts fell flat at crucial moments.

CCC did attempt to respond to the Eagles’ third inning run. In the bottom of the third inning, the Comets stranded a man on base after a single and a Mendocino wild pitch.

The failed scoring attempt was followed by a montage of Comet batters making contact on Eagle pitches that were easily caught by Eagle fielders.

Comet third baseman Mychael Jamison said, “The team could have adjusted by waiting for the ball a little more. The opposing pitcher was throwing curve balls that the hitters wouldn’t go for and then he would throw balls out of the zone and the hitters would swing.”

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Comet first baseman Tyler Brown earned a walk. When Comet second baseman Dylan Wilson grounded out as a sacrifice, Brown advanced to second. Third baseman Jared Jackson grounded to the shortstop for the Comets, moving Brown to third.

Jamison then grounded out to first, killing Brown’s and the rest of the team’s effort to score and tie the game.

CCC hosts the College of Marin Thursday at 2:30 p.m. on the Baseball Field.