FOREST CITY, N.C. ? Playing in his first game since 2007, junior Frankie Lewis blasted an RBI double in the bottom of the 13th inning to give Appalachian State University baseball a thrilling 4-3 victory over Jacksonville State in the season opener for both teams on Friday evening at McNair Field.

Lewis, who missed all of last season and two of the past three campaigns due to injuries, doubled to the left center field gap to bring home David Towarnicky from second base with nobody out in the 13th, capping an improbable late-inning comeback for Appalachian and ending the four-hour-and-13-minute season-opening marathon.

ASU faced a 3-2 deficit and was down to its final strike in the bottom of the ninth when senior Rand Smith started the rally with a single through the left side of the infield on a 3-2 pitch. Jason Wallace followed by beating out an infield single to put runners on first and second.

ASU head coach Chris Pollard then sent true freshman Zack Briggs to pinch-hit and Briggs looped the first pitch he saw as a collegiate player into shallow right field, bringing home Smith with the tying run.

Despite the late-inning heroics at the plate, the story of the game was the performance turned in by the Mountaineer bullpen. Four ASU relievers ? junior Chris Patterson, sophomore Taylor Miller, senior Zach Quate and freshman Andrew Webster combined to hold Jacksonville State to one run on six hits over the final eight innings of the ballgame, striking out 10 in the process. Miller was especially impressive, striking out six of the eight batters he faced in 2.2 perfect innings of relief.

The Mountaineers fell into a 3-1 hole after five-and-a-half innings, due in large part to Gamecock starter and likely first-round draft pick Ben Tootle, who didn't allow a hit in his four innings of work. In fact, the Apps didn't record their first hit until the sixth, when they cut the deficit to 3-2 on doubles by Chris Alessandria and Towarnicky.

Towarnicky was the only ASU player with multiple hits, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs, including the game-winner.

In all, Appalachian pitchers struck out 15 batters. Webster pitched a flawless 13th to pick up the win in his first collegiate appearance.

Todd Cunningham led Jacksonville State with two hits and an RBI.

ASU and JSU resume their three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m.