A day of dramatics ended historically on the opening of the Tri-River Athletic Conference baseball season Friday.

"I don't think I'll ever forget this one," Clovis High coach James Patrick said after he earned career win No. 600 in Hollywood fashion -- the sixth-ranked Cougars scoring five runs in the sixth and three in the seventh for an 8-7 win in a night home game against No. 9 Clovis East.

Sophomore Tevin Mitchell's one-out, two-run double to deep right field ended it for Clovis (9-3), which trailed 7-0 after five innings.

"I remember losses a lot more than victories," Patrick said, "but this victory was special for our guys."

Patrick is 600-209-2 in 28 years -- two at Memorial and 26 at Clovis.

Only two other baseball coaches in section history have more wins -- the retired Mike Noakes (708-261-7, 32 seasons, Bullard/Central) and the active Ken Papi (613-420, 39 seasons, Fresno), according to section historian Bob Barnett.

"I have so many great memories," said Patrick, who has also won a combined 11 league titles and seven section crowns at Memorial and Clovis. "I've been fortunate to coach great players and to coach with great coaches; to me, that's what it means. When I'm done coaching, I'll look back and maybe admire the milestones. But, right now, I'm thinking about the next game and how to get to 601. That's how I'll always be."

The TRAC was flush with one-run thrillers Friday.

It began with an afternoon game at Buchanan, where the No. 2 Bears received a second-inning home run from Trenton Kemp and a five-hitter from left-hander Jack Wheeless in a 1-0 win over No. 4 Central.

Then, moments prior to Clovis' miracle rally, No. 1 Clovis North took a 4-2 lead on a two-out, two-run single by Daniel Gardner in the top of the seventh before reliever Matt Walker escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the inning for a 4-3 victory over No. 3 Clovis West.

Gardner, youngest son of Mark Gardner -- Fresno Athletic Hall of Famer and the San Francisco Giants' current bullpen coach -- had grounded sharply foul down the right-field line on a 2-2 pitch before steering a low fastball from Oregon-bound Marco Pierce (3-1) to center field.

"I choked up a little bit and got some good barrel on the ball," said Gardner, adding that he had a similar hit off Pierce the last time he faced him -- in eighth grade, but on the same Stan Bledsoe Field.

The Broncos then held on as reliever Walker -- with the bases loaded and a 3-2 count -- got David Haros to ground out to shortstop Christian Rossi.

"You can talk about those situations and try to simulate them in practice," said Clovis North coach Chris Patrick, son of James Patrick. "But until you get in front of a packed house, it's not the same. That was a big pitch by Matt there, and that's not easy to do."

Broncos junior right-hander Jack Labosky (4-0) had given up two unearned runs in the first six innings.

At the end of the day, James Patrick reviewed it all: "That's the TRAC. That's the way it is."

But only Friday night was there a potential No. 600 on the marquee. And to think it was achieved in a game in which the Cougars were getting throttled.

"Unusual game," Patrick said. "And we got outplayed and outcoached the majority of it."

Clovis' sixth-inning rally featured singles by Jacob Gatewood, McCarthy Tatum, McKay France and R.J. Hartmann, whose hit drove in two runs.

And the stage for Mitchell's walk-off was set by a Gatewood single, a walk to Tatum, France's sacrifice, Hartmann's RBI single and Alan Crowley's walk.