Walks haunt Tigers in series finale loss to CU

After a tough 1st 2 games against Cumberland, Georgetown looked to salvage the series finale and get its first MSC win of the season. The Tigers showed promise early but could not hold the lead. A wild pitching staff allowed Cumberland to score 13 unanswered runs over the final 4 innings for a 14-5 Georgetown loss to complete the sweep.

Georgetown took an early lead in the bottom of the 2nd. With 2 out and Elijah Verge on 1st, Luis Sosa singled to center. Jackson Raaf then drew a walk to load the bases. It set the stage for Michael Detzel, making his varsity debut. Detzel got a fastball on the outer half and laced it through the right side. The ball got under the glove of the CU right-fielder as all 3 runs came home and Detzel motored to 3rd on the error to give Georgetown a 3-0 lead. He came home moments later as Braden Shepherd singled to left to cap a 4-run inning for the Tigers.

Bryson Huwar got 1 out into the 3rd before being relieved by David Edwards. With 1 out and 1 on, Edwards got the 2nd out, then hit the next batter to put 2 on. He wiggled out of the jam by inducing a groundball to Detzel to retire the side. Cumberland broke through in the top of the 4th. Edwards hit the 1st batter and walked the next. A pop-up and fly out followed for 2 outs. Edwards then allowed a single to right to score the Phoenix's 1st run of the game.

Georgetown got the run back in the bottom of the 5th but could have had more in a half-inning that changed the entire game. With 1 out, Payton Rios reached via an error. He moved to 2nd after a Jarrett Chapman single. Georgetown then went for a double steal. The throw from the catcher went to 2nd but no defender was there. Rios came in to score on the play, but everything was nullified as Jose Cazorla was called out for batter's interference. Rios was sent back to 2nd and Chapman to 1st. Nolan Smith then laced a double down the right field line that scored Rios and could have scored Chapman, but the ball rolled under fence. It was ruled a groundrule double, forcing Chapman back to 3rd and keeping the 2nd run off the board. Elijah Verge grounded out to strand Chapman and Smith as Georgetown saw a golden opportunity go away.

Cumberland seized the momentum immediately in the top of the 6th. A walk and single ended the day for David Edwards on the mount. Ashton Deskins was called upon and failed to retire a batter. The first batter Deskins faced laid down a bunt, but Michael Detzel threw the ball into the Georgetown bullpen, allowing 2 runs to score to cut the Tiger lead to 5-3. Deskins then walked a batter and hit the next to load the bases. Back-to-back singles tied the game at 5. Mason Mortimer came on and walked the first batter he faced to put Cumberland ahead. 2 batters later, a single to center brought 2 more runs home. Cumberland scored 7 runs on only 4 hits as the Georgetown staff allowed 3 walks and a hit batter to go with the 2-run error. The Phoenix took an 8-5 lead after 6.

Ian McNabb took the ball for the top of the 7th. He hit the first batter then recorded a strikeout. With 1 out, McNabb walked the next 2 batters to load the bases. His 3rd wild pitch of the inning brought Cumberland's 9th run home. McNabb walked another batter to re-load the bases and was pulled for Caden Noble. In his season debut, Noble struck out the final 2 batters to leave the bases loaded and prevent further damage in the 7th.

Noble got through the 8th but then had his own control issues to start the 9th. A walk and wild pitch started the inning. Another walk put runners on the corners with no out. Noble gave up a single to right as his last batter of the game. Zach Mariani came on and fared no better against the potent Phoenix lineup. Mariani balked home a run, then allowed a walk and a passed ball to move the runners up. A single to right center followed for a 13-5 CU lead. Mariani gave up 2 more singles around a 6-4-3 double play before being pulled for Manuel Meilan. The righty struck out his only batter on 3 pitches to end an inning that saw Cumberland score 5 more times on 5 hits and 4 walks.

In total, the Georgetown staff allowed 12 walks and 6 hit batters in the 14-5 loss. Ashton Deskins was the pitcher of record for the Tigers after being charged with 5 runs (4 earned) without recording an out.

Georgetown will try to turn their luck around on Tuesday with a single game against Union Commonwealth. First pitch from Robert N. Wilson Field is set for 2:00pm.