COLUMBIA, Ky. – Edwin Santiago tossed eight strong innings and third-ranked Georgetown College put together four straight singles, scoring three runs in the ninth inning to take a 5-3 victory over Cumberland in the first game here Wednesday at Egnew Park.

Georgetown (42-7) forced a second championship game with the win over the Bulldogs (39-18). Josciel Veras tied the game at one with a single in the first and his solo homer to leftcenter to leadoff the sixth put Cumberland ahead, 3-2, until the three-run ninth for the Tigers.
Santiago (4-3) allowed just three runs on six hits in eight innings for Georgetown. The righthander walked two and struck out five, stranding six runners, four in scoring position.

Craig Ramsey got the final three outs for his eighth save, working around an error and a walk in the bottom of the ninth.

CU starter Anthony Gomez (5-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on 11 hits in 8.1 innings. The lefthander did not walk a batter and struck out six, running into trouble in the ninth inning.

The Tigers jumped out early with a run in the first on three hits, with Justin Moore starting the rally with a one-out double to rightcenter. Tyler Coker followed with a great bunt down the third base line, putting runners on the corners, and Martin Lemus fought off a high fast ball for a single to right, driving home the run, but Gomez got out of the inning without further damage with a groundout and a strikeout.

The Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the inning after Chris Hall drew a leadoff walk. Ricky Coleman hit a drive to deep leftfield but was robbed of a home run by Moore. Sam Lind followed with a soft single to rightcenter, putting runners on first and second and with two outs, Veras singled to left, scoring Hall and tying the game at one.

Both teams plated a run in the fifth inning, with CU answering again after the Tigers took the lead.

Rick Reyes led off with a single to rightfield and stole second. A sacrifice bunt by Trey Gross pushed the runner to third and Ryan Rodriguez’s single off the end of the bat past a drawn-in infield gave Georgetown a 2-1 edge.

Back came the Bulldogs again, with Hall hit by the pitch with one out before a double down the rightfield line by Coleman. Lind’s groundout to second tied the contest at two.

Veras drilled a 2-0 pitch over the wall in leftcenter to leadoff the sixth, a lead that held up until the ninth inning.

In the ninth Armando Lomeli singled to left, just off the outstretched glove of shortstop Tyler Anderson, with one out, and that seemed to open the floodgates. Reyes singled up the middle and Gross followed with a single to left, tying the contest at three.

Rodriguez added another single, plating pinch-runner Shaun Meyer, and putting runners on first and third. Duran Elmore then executed the safety squeeze, bunting just inside the first base line, with Gross coming across for a 5-3 advantage.

Richie Seaton reached on an error and Hall drew a walk in the bottom of the ninth, but Coleman fouled out to end the game, forcing a second championship contest.