Racers Win Both Ends of Marathon Doubleheader at Georgetown

GEORGETOWN, KY - Even the hardiest of baseball lovers got everything they could handle Saturday afternoon as UNOH and Georgetown slugged through the first two games of a four-game series. Over 19 total innings that lasted more than seven hours, the two teams combined for 46 runs and 44 hits, 16 going for extra bases, but in the end it was the Racers edging out two victories.

Four of the first five batters earned a hit for UNOH as they jumped out early in game one, but the Tigers answered with two of their own making it a 3-2 game after one. The Racers scored five more runs on five more hits in their next at bat before adding another in the third and three in the fourth. Georgetown put up a single run twice and the game entered the fifth with UNOH up 12-4. 

After one more Racer run in the top of the frame, the Tiger offense started to come alive hitting five doubles and a home run over their next two at bats to make it a 13-11 game heading into the final inning. UNOH added two insurance runs in the top before Georgetown got one back in the bottom ending the first game 15-12.

Daniel Healy (2-1) earned a difficult win giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits with five strike outs and three walks over four and two-thirds innings. Nate Tappenden and Parker Kerr combined for one full inning of work that saw five runs score on three hits. Freshman Carter Hicks picked up his first career save finishing the final inning and a third with one run on two hits while walking one and striking out two.

Game two was much slower to get going as the scheduled nine-inning contest produced just two hits through the first three innings of play. A lead off double and a hit batter set up the first run of the game with a Zach Grigalis sacrifice bunt in the fourth, but a solo homer and a passed ball put the Tigers up 2-1 in the bottom. The lead shifted right back to UNOH with a pair of doubles in the fifth before adding another in the sixth and two in the seventh. Georgetown kept answering the call and scored three at a time in each of the sixth and seventh innings to carry an 8-6 lead into the final frame.

After a hit batter led off the top of the ninth, Cesar Grau ripped a double that scored one and Eric Brown followed with a single that tied the game 8-8. The bullpen took over for UNOH and shut down the Tiger offense sending the game into extra innings. It wasn't until the third extra frame when the Racers finally broke the deadlock and used some help to get things started. A lead off walk followed by a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second a third. Eliomar Otero caused problems with the defense scoring one, but it was Cesar Grau punctuating the day with a two-RBI single. That hit put the Racers up for good, 11-8, ending the night after twelve innings, the program's longest game since 2018 (14).

Jordan Davis (1-0) dazzled over the final five and a third innings of game two retiring all 16 batters he faced in order, striking out seven. Zach Cabell worked the first five and a third allowing three runs on four hits with six strike outs and four walks.

Eliomar Otero led the day offensively for UNOH ending 5-9 at the plate including three doubles while driving in seven runs and scoring four times. Fabian Romero scored seven runs himself while hitting 3-7 with a RBI and a double. Cesar Grau hit two doubles and tallied six RBI on the day.

UNOH will play two more against Georgetown on Sunday with game one first pitch scheduled for 1:00 PM.