Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BAINBRIDGE – The Bainbridge Bearcats defeated the Cairo Syrupmakers on Tuesday night in Cairo. The game was a tight one, ending in a 5-3 win for Bainbridge over their biggest rival.

“They are a rival and they’ve been a rival for a long time,” said head coach Donnie Coxwell. “I think the fans like it.”

The Syrupmakers struck early on in the bottom of the first on a double by Cannon Maige that scored Elijah Anderson. The Bearcats came storming back in the third, however, taking advantage of several Cairo mistakes. An error and a walk found Bainbridge’s Bricen Palmer and Keenan Phillips on first and second with no outs. A sacrifice bunt and a hit by pitch put the Syrupmakers in trouble as the bases were loaded with just one out. A single by Drew Clayton would score Phillips and tie the game at one. On the very next at bat, an error by Cairo pitcher Robert Watson would let Palmer and Clayton in and by the time the top of the third came to a close, Bainbridge had a two run lead.

The Syrupmakers would bounce back in the bottom of the third inning. A line drive single by Cairo’s Kale Bearden would send Braylon Robinson into home, making the score 3-2 Bainbridge. 

The Syrupmakers pitching struggles would strike again, however, as Watson hit two Bearcats and walked another. A wild pitch by Watson cleared the path for Bolton Yarbrough to put the Bearcats up 4-2. 

Cairo struggled on the mound for much of the day. Despite a solid start from Watson, things unraveled in the middle innings and the Syrupmakers cycled through three different pitchers.

The Bearcats on the other hand had a solid day on the mound. Pitcher Chris Cooper pitched a complete game, only allowing three runs and six hits in seven innings of work. He also recorded five strikeouts.

“Chis has done what he’s done the whole region,” said coach Coxwell. “He’s 4-0 in the region. He went out and threw a seven inning game in 75 pitches, which means he was throwing a lot of strikes.”

The scored remained 4-2 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. That’s when Bainbridge found themselves on the wrong side of an error that allowed Cairo’s Anderson, who had singled earlier in the inning, to score from third. The Bearcats lead had been cut to one and the Syrupmakers hopes were alive.

The Bearcats would soon retake their two run lead in the top of the seventh. After fouling off several pitches, Logan Rich would fire a double to left field and Clayton raced home from second.

The Bearcats would protect their 5-3 lead with a quick three up three down inning and game one of this three game series was theirs.