Did you hear the Durham Bulls won the Triple-A national championship?

Did you even know there was a Triple-A national championship?

If not, don't feel too bad. This was not only the first national title for the Bulls, it was only the fourth time a championship game has been played between the winners of the nation's two Triple-A leagues, the Pacific Coast and the International.

The Tuesday game gave the International League its first national champion, and gave the Bulls undisputed bragging rights to being the best team in the best league in the minors.

In a one-game championship, anything can happen, and it seemed like almost anything and everything did in the 11-inning, 5-4 contest against the Memphis Redbirds, played at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.

Memphis came into the game red hot, having won 10 of their 11 last games. But the Bulls were on a roll as well, having swept the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in three games to win the IL crown.

Durham took an early lead on the strength of Jeremy Hellicikson's pitching and a few key hits. Hellickson won the game's MVP award for five scoreless innings.

The Bulls scored in the third when centerfielder Desmond Jennings hit a double that drove in a run. In the fourth, second baseman Sean Rodriguez smacked a solo homer, third baseman Ray Olmedo drove in another run on a with a bloop single, and Jennings cracked another RBI.

But Memphis roared back in the sixth, giving up three runs, and tied it in the seventh.

It stayed that way until a crazy 11th that featured a lead-off double by Bulls catcher Michel Hernandez followed by two wild pitches by two different Redbirds hurlers, bringing home pinch runner Rashad Eldridge.

A wild celebration ensued among the Bulls, proving that these players want to win as much as their counterparts in the big show.

It's quite an honor -- the Bulls are national champs. Congratulations to our hometown team on one of the most memorable seasons in its storied history.