Beger starts Senior Day with Tigers 3rd straight walk-off
Georgetown picked up 2 walk-off wins over UPike on Friday to start the 4-game weekend series. On Saturday, as the focus turned to Senior Day, one of the 3 seniors being honored collected another walk-off as Peyton Beger capped a 6-run rally, giving the Tigers a 6-5 win over UPike.
The game looked worrisome early for Georgetown. Pikeville struck for 2 1st-inning runs off Sarah Claxon and after a lead-off double in the top of the 2nd, Claxon was relieved on the mound by Emma Cummings. Later in the inning, the Bears got a bases-loaded double from Haleigh Jones, scoring all 3 runs aboard and pushing the lead to 5-0. It closed the book on Claxon, who went just 1+ innings and allowed 3 earned runs.
Cummings would begin to settle in on the mound. She would be aided by stellar defense in the 3rd. With runners at 1st and 2nd, UPike singled to left, but the lead runner was thrown out at the plate by Stevie Shepherd for the 2nd out of the inning. Cummings would strike out the next batter to end the threat. After a 1-2-3 top of the 4th, the Tiger bats got going. With 2 out, Peyton Beger roped a double down the left field line. Ashley Shelton followed with a double of her own to score Beger and get the Tigers on the board.
In the bottom of the 5th, Brooke Chick reached via an error to start a rally. Kaylyn Barnett followed with a double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. 2 batters later, Mallory Myers chopped a ball down the 1st line and was ruled safe at 1st as the 1st baseman blocked Myers' path to the bag. The play allowed Chick to score and put Barnett at 3rd. Myers would steal 2nd and with 2 out, Cassie Rannells singled to short. She would go to 2nd on a throwing error, which allowed both Barnett and Myers to score, bringing Georgetown within 1 at 5-4.
UPike nearly added an insurance run in the top of the 6th. With 2 out and runners at 1st and 2nd, the Bears' Alyssa Franklin singled up the middle, but Peyton Beger came charging in and threw a missile to the plate to cut down the runner and end the inning. As the game moved to the bottom of the 7th, the Tigers sent the heart of the order to the plate. With Mallory Myers at 2nd base, Sarah Claxon singled up the middle to move Myers to 3rd. Claxon would be lifted for Destiny Wallace at 1st, who immediately stole 2nd. Cassie Rannells then followed with a hard single to right, scoring Myers and tying the game. Peyton Beger would then step in with 1 out and send a long fly to left center that dropped on to the warning track to score Wallace and complete the stunning comeback.
While the offense got itself going at the perfect time, it happened while Emma Cummings delivered 6 strong innings of relief, allowing just 2 runs over the final 6 innings of the game, while striking out 4 Bears.