James Lilley has seen how the ball flies at Suplizio Field.

The New Mexico Junior College third baseman, who pitched for Mesa State College a year ago, knows how the ball can carry.

On Thursday night, Lilley got to experience the other end of it. He hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to propel the Thunderbirds to a 10-9 victory over San Jacinto (Texas) College-North in the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series.

“It looked like (we’d get beat), but this team you can’t count out,” Lilley said. “Everybody played a part. It’s amazing to play on this team.”

The victory moves New Mexico (55-7-1) to Saturday. The Thunderbirds await the result of tonight’s game between Chipola (Fla.) College and Spartanburg Methodist (S.C.) College to see their opponent.

San Jacinto (46-16) was eliminated.

“When you lose a game by a lot you don’t think about it much, but when they’re the close ones, that is when it means the most,” San Jacinto catcher Kyle Henson said. “We had ups and downs and New Mexico is a great team with great leaders. They capitalized, and that is what a good team does.”

Lilley came through with the big hit to rally the Thunderbirds, who trailed 7-1 through five innings.

With two runners on and one out, San Jacinto brought in Hank Williamson, the Gators’ No. 1 starter, to face Lilley.

Williamson threw a 93 mph fastball on the first pitch and Lilley was ready for it, hitting it over the right-field fence for a game-tying home run.

“It feels great to hit here,” Lilley said. “I had no idea what pitch I’d get. Coach B (Ray Birmingham) told me, ‘Here comes a fastball to the outside part of the plate.’ It was incredible.”

“That was difficult to muster,” San Jacinto coach Tom Arrington said. “They put up six and we brought in Williamson, who is our Day One starter. He was throwing 95 good, he pumped it in there and the guy hit a three-run homer.

“That might have rattled him a little bit; he was a little erratic around the zone. He went out there wanting to attack and went with the fastball and the guy hit it over the fence. I have to hand it to our guys in retrospect to fight and come back and give us a chance a win.”

After Lilley’s home run, the T-Birds didn’t let down.

Coty Wilson walked, Christian Figueroa doubled and Everett Evans reached when San Jacinto first baseman Taylor Hammack mishandled a ground ball. Cole Standridge, who was running for Wilson, scored the go-ahead run.

Adalberto Santos singled home a run and Evans scored on a wild pitch for a 10-7 lead.

San Jacinto scored twice in the bottom of the eighth on a Brandon Belt single and a Lilley error, but David Carpenter was able to get a fly out with the go-ahead run at first base to end the inning.

“We did some stupid stuff tonight,” Birmingham said. “We were too emotional. I asked the guys, ‘Are we that kind of team?’ We were pressing and needed to relax.”

Matt Speake relieved Carpenter in the ninth and struck out three of four batters to end the game.

“You can’t imagine,” Speake said. “You get ready to throw and you hear 10,000 screaming fans. You’ve got to step back and breathe.”

San Jacinto got things started with four runs in the second inning. Jeremy Barfield reached on an error and Trey Sperring was hit by a pitch.

Henson, the Gators’ No. 8 hitter, delivered a two-run double.

Birmingham argued it went foul, but to no avail. Henson and Kevin Kelso scored on Brandon Belt’s single to right.

New Mexico scored a run in the fourth when its catcher Luis Cruz singled home Kevin Atkinson.

San Jacinto retaliated with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and it started again with Henson.

The sophomore from Conroe, Texas, tripled to right-center field and scored on a Tanner Hines groundout. Belt singled to load the bases and with two outs, Barfield singled home two runs. Belt tried to score when the throw home went to the backstop, but New Mexico pitcher Trevor Harden threw him out. San Jacinto led 7-1.

New Mexico’s Brian Cavazos-Glavez hit a solo home run in the sixth.

The Thunderbirds put three consecutive hits together in the seventh, but only got one run out of it when Wilson scored on Figueroa’s single. Figueroa advanced to second on Barfield’s errant throw and scored on a fielding error.

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Allen Gemaehlich can be reached via e-mail at agemaehlich@gjds.com.