IAC BASEBALL: TIOGA WINS SEASON-OPENER AT SOUTHERN CAYUGA, 5-3 (24 PHOTOS) (2024-04-01)
Valley Sports ReportPOPLAR RIDGE - Tioga scored three runs in the top of the first inning, and held off Southern Cayuga for a season-opening, 5-3, win here Monday afternoon in IAC Small School baseball action.
"It was a real good all-around game for us tonight, especially considering it was the first game of the year," said Tioga coach Kevin Evanek.
"It’s always good to start the season off with a win," he added.
Sophomore Logan Bellis, junior Shea Bailey, and senior Cam Rought led off the game with consecutive singles to load the bases for the Tigers.
With one out, junior Zack Mumbulo delivered a run-scoring single to give Tioga a 1-0 lead.
After the Tigers had a runner cut down at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch, junior Garrett Godfrey reached on a infield single to load the bases.
Tioga took a 2-0 lead when junior Jackson Clark worked a walk to force home a run, and freshman Cooper Dember capped the rally with an RBI single to make it 3-0.
Southern Cayuga answered with runs in the home half of the first, and the second to close the gap to 3-2.
Tioga wasted back-to-back singles by Mumbulo and Godfrey to start the third inning, but Rought came through with a two-out RBI double to score junior Luke Powell, who led off the fourth inning inning with a single, to put the Tigers up 4-2.
The Tigers added an unearned run in the top of the sixth inning to extend its lead to 5-2.
Rought, in his fourth inning of relief, pitched around a walk and hit batsman in the bottom of the sixth inning to preserve the three-run lead.
The Chiefs scored a run in the home half of the seventh inning on back-to-back two-out hits, but Godfrey entered in relief, and recorded the final out for the save.
Rought earned the win, allowing one run on two hits, while striking out four and walking three in 4 2/3 innings of relief.
Bailey started the Tigers. He allowed two runs on three hits, while striking out five and walking two in two innings of work.
Mumbulo had three hits, including a double, scored one run, and drove in one run to pace Tioga’s 13-hit attack, while Rought doubled and singled, and scored one run, Bailey doubled and singled, and Godfrey added a pair of singles.
Bellis singled and scored two runs in the win, while Clark and Dember each had one hit and one RBI, and Powell singled and scored one run.
Tioga returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Marathon.
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IN PHOTO 1: Tioga’s Cam Rought. … PHOTOS BY AMANDA BAILEY.
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