CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – A mid-game lightning delay on Wednesday gave the Tigers a breather, and they came back ready to turn the game around Wednesday afternoon. Trailing 7-2 to Midway, Campbellsville rallied in the ninth, capped by
Joaquin Hernandez's walk-off walk, stunning the home crowd 8-7.
- Jaxson Grubbs was locked in at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, and 2 RBIs to spark the Tigers' comeback.
- Brady Henke went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs, delivering key hits in the ninth inning to fuel the rally.
- Anthony Esposito went 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch, reaching base in the ninth to help set the stage for the Tigers' late scoring.
- Kleysen Gabruck and Tate Wischnack drew crucial walks and scored on wild pitches, keeping the pressure on Midway during the ninth-inning comeback.
- Parker King threw scoreless relief in the final innings, shutting down Midway and keeping the Tigers in striking distance for the comeback.
- Joaquin Hernandez delivered the walk-off RBI, capping Campbellsville's thrilling 8-7 victory.
- The Tigers are back in action at home this Friday, April 3rd, with a doubleheader against Ohio Christian University, first pitch at 1 p.m. ET in Campbellsville, Kentucky.
Midway struck first after two scoreless innings, breaking things open in the third frame. A walk and a sac bunt set the table before an RBI single gave Midway the lead. The inning quickly snowballed, as a pair of walks, an error, and a clutch two RBI single helped them stretch the advantage to 4-0.
Campbellsville struggled to find rhythm early, held hitless through the first four innings as Midway controlled the pace.
A lightning delay halted play in the top of the fifth inning, pausing the game with Midway in front 4-0, but it turned out to be exactly what the Tigers needed.
Coming out of the delay, Campbellsville brought the energy.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Jaxson Grubbs crushed a solo homer to left center to get the Tigers on the board and ignite the dugout.
Thomas Krueger followed with a single, and
Kleysen Gabruck worked a walk to keep the pressure on. After moving runners into scoring position,
Brady Henke delivered with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2 and completely shift the momentum.
Midway answered in the sixth, using timely hitting to extend their lead to 7-2, putting Campbellsville in a tough spot heading into the late innings.
Coming in the eighth,
Parker King took the mound and blanked Midway, setting the stage for their ninth-inning rally.
Campbellsville started chipping away.
Anthony Esposito reached and came around to score on a sacrifice fly from
Tate Wischnack, making it 7-3 and keeping the hope alive.
Then came the ninth inning, and everything changed. Gabruck led off with a single, and
Fernando Serrano followed with another base hit to immediately apply pressure. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Henke came through again with an RBI single to make it 7-4.
With the momentum building, the Tigers refused to slow down. A hit by pitch loaded the bases, and Wischnack stayed patient, drawing a bases-loaded walk to cut it to 7-5.
Moments later, Grubbs stepped in and delivered in a huge moment, working another bases-loaded walk to make it 7-6. Then the breakthrough came as a wild pitch allowed the tying run to score, evening the game at 7-7 and sending the Tigers' dugout into a frenzy after erasing a five-run deficit.
The energy carried into extras. After shutting Midway down in the top of the tenth, Campbellsville wasted no time creating another opportunity. Serrano drew a walk,
Luke O'Brien followed with another, and a wild pitch moved both into scoring position. An intentional walk loaded the bases, setting up a dramatic finish.
Joaquin Hernandez stepped back in the game and stayed composed, drawing a walk-off walk to force in the winning run and cap off an electric 8-7 comeback victory for the Tigers.
