Tigers win game 1 over St. Francis

Georgetown made an unexpected road trip to Chicago after the scheduled series against St. Francis was moved out of Georgetown due to snow. In a back-and-forth opener of Sunday's doubleheader, Georgetown did just enough for a 4-3 win in the 7-inning game.

The Tigers threatened in the opening inning. With 1 out in the top of the 1st, Jose Cazorla roped a double to left. He moved to 3rd on a passed ball. With 2 out, Keano Suarez drew a walk to put runners at the corners. The threat ended as Suarez was nailed trying to steal 2nd.

Anthony Barrera had the ball for Georgetown and was greeted rudely in the bottom of the 1st as St. Francis led off with a homer to right center. Barrera gave up a single and walk to follow but was able to wiggle out of any further trouble.

The Tiger offense backed Barrera in the top of the 2nd. With 1 out, Jarrett Chapman singled to left. His wheels then got tested as Elijah Verge smashed a ball to left center. Chapman showed the speed as he rolled all the way around to score on Verge's triple. Verge was then brought home via a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. St. Francis got a run back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 2.

Jose Cazorla doubled again in the bottom of the 3rd with 1 down. Keano Suarez again reached via a walk, but the chance ended with an Aidan Jbara fielder's choice. The Fighting Saints went quietly in the bottom of the inning as Barrera retired the side with no issue.

Barrera's work on the mound was rewarded in the top of the 5th. From the 9-spot in the order, Peyton Young led off the inning with a double to right center. He came home 2 batters later thanks to an RBI single from Jose Cazorla to give Georgetown a 3-2 lead. Nolan Smith followed with a single to move Cazorla to 2nd. Suarez then smacked a double to center to send Cazorla home and give Georgetown a 4-2 lead. A 1-2-3 bottom of the 5th signaled the end of Anthony Barrera's day on the mound.

David Edwards came on for Barrera in the bottom of the 6th. After 2 quick outs, Edwards found trouble. A single and double put runners at 2nd and 3rd as St. Francis looked for another knock to tie the game. Edwards responded with a massive strikeout to end the threat.

Georgetown went down in order in the top of the 7th. Edwards went back out, looking for the 2-inning save. He struck out the first batter. A single to left followed by a triple to right center cut Georgetown's lead to 1 at 4-3. Head Coach Randy Guite made the move back to the bullpen and called upon Bryson Huwar. With the tying run just 90 feet away, Huwar froze his 1st batter on strikes. With 2 down, Huwar induced a routine grounder to 3rd to end the threat and preserve the win.

Anthony Barrera picked up the win as he allowed just 1 earned run and 3 hits over 5 innings of work. Jose Cazorla reached base all 4 times at-bat, including 2 doubles as the Tigers scattered 10 hits in the game.