By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The third-seeded Johnson & Wales baseball team was one strike away from an opening-round loss in the Bridgewater Regional Friday afternoon.

The Wildcats trailed second-seeded Middlebury College by three runs and had no runners on base with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

But Johnson & Wales rallied for three runs to tie the game, then edged past the Panthers, 12-11, in 11 innings at Alumni Park.

Trevor Juan had five hits and drove in a pair of runs in the ninth inning to get the game into extra innings.

The Wildcats (29-13) play a winner's bracket game on Saturday at noon against fourth-seeded Bridgewater State University, which defeated nationally ranked Endicott College, 4-2.

The Panthers (27-12) will play an elimination game at 8:30 Saturday morning against Endicott.

Johnson & Wales won despite having four pitchers issue 17 walks. The Panthers had just seven hits, two in the 11th inning.

With the game tied, 9-9, Johnson & Wales scored three times in the top of the 11th inning, then held on as Middlebury scored twice in the bottom of the inning.

The Wildcats moved in front, 12-9, as A.J. Braid walked and went to second when Thorin Sanchez-Guerra was hit by a pitch. With one out, Jack Obert singled to left-center field and Juan singled to right-center.

Obert then scored the third run of the inning on a passed ball.

Middlebury closed within a run in the bottom of the inning as Sammy Smith walked and scored on a home run to left by Nathan Samii.

The Panthers then got an infield hit from Chris Borter but Kyle Cutler recorded the final two outs for the save.

Middlebury held a 9-6 lead entering the ninth inning when Johnson & Wales rallied to force extra innings.

With two outs, Owen Davis singled, Sanchez-Guerra walked and pinch hitter Griffin Snyder was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Obert walked to force in a run and Juan singled to left to bring in a pair of runs to tie the game.

Johnson & Wales held a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when E.J. Leone's sacrifice fly scored Obert, who had doubled to lead off the game.

Middlebury evened the game in the bottom of the first when Alec Ritch, who had walked, scored on a groundout.

Johnson & Wales took a 2-1 lead in the second on an RBI single by Sanchez-Guerra, scoring Davis, who had doubled. Middlebury took a 3-2 lead in the third on a two-run home run to left by Kyle McCausland, his 11th of the season.

Johnson & Wales tied it at 3-3 in the fourth on an RBI infield hit by Juan after Sanchez-Guerra walked, stole second and went to third on an error.

Middlebury opened a 6-3 lead in the fourth, a two-run single by John Collins being the key hit.

Johnson & Wales forged into a 6-6 tie by scoring two in the fifth on a two-run single by Jack Magane and another in the sixth as Juan tripled and came home on a Miles Kelly single.

Middlebury regained the lead in the seventh by scoring twice when Samii drove in two runs with a single and added another in the eighth as Borter walked, advanced on a walk and sacrifice bunt, then scored on a wild pitch.

Winning pitcher Garrett Fusco (3-0) worked 2 1-3 innings, following Aidan Vinning and Justin Martell on the mound.