7-run 1st powers Georgetown to Game 3 win

After a frustrating day with the bats on Saturday, Georgetown took to the plate with a fury early in Sunday's opener en route to a 9-4 win over Freed-Hardeman to get on the board in the series.

Kaylyn Barnett got the start on the mound and worked around 3 1st inning walks without allowing any to cross the plate. Ella Forish played a role here by nailing an attempted stolen base at 2nd. Barnett ultimately induced a flyout with runners on 1st and 2nd to get out of early trouble.

Riding that momentum, Barnett led off the bottom of the inning with a sharp single to left, followed by a steal of 2nd base. Ainsley Herron reached via an error at 1st, which also moved Barnett to 3rd. That set the stage for Stevie Shepherd. Unlike Saturday, winds were calm in Georgetown, although it would not have mattered for Shepherd. After working the count, Shepherd got the pitch she wanted and crushed a ball high and well over the left field fence for a 3-run bomb to get Georgetown on the board. It gave the rest of the lineup a shot of adrenaline. Alanna Pierce drew a walk and was moved to 2nd via a Kylee West sacrifice. Kinley Lucas drew a walk, which led to she and Pierce stealing 2nd and 3rd, respectively. With 1 out, Ella Forish stepped in and lined a ball to the left field wall, bringing both runs home on a double. Haylee Stansbury liked the double-to-left idea so much that she did it herself to bring Forish home and give GC a 6-0 lead. Barnett stepped in 2 batters later with Stansbury on 3rd and hit a grounder to short that the defender could not handle. Barnett reached via the error and Stansbury scored to give Georgetown a stunning 7-0 lead after the 1st inning.

The Lions got 1 run back in the top of the 2nd via a solo home run and 2 runs in the top of the 3rd, but Georgetown countered in the bottom of the 3rd. With Haylee Stansbury at 2nd and Kaylyn Barnett at 1st, Ainsley Herron stepped in and laced a line drive past the diving Lion shortstop that went all the way to the well. Stansbury and Barnett cruised home with Herron motoring all the way to 3rd for a 2-RBI triple to give Georgetown a 9-3 lead.

While the Tiger offense went scoreless from there, the lead remained comfortable thanks to strong work from Emma Cummings out of the bullpen. Cummings relieved Barnett in the top of the 3rd and kept the potent FHU offense in check the rest of the way. Cummings scattered 5 hits over the final 4.1 innings, allowing a lone run in the 6th while striking out 3 to pick up the win and get the Tigers in the win column in the Mid-South Conference.