Bat Cats Win Rain Delayed Thriller with 10th Inning Walk-off Double by Cade Pilkinton

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The 2026 Mid-South Conference Baseball Tournament began on Tuesday at Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the Hot Rods.

The tournament began with an elimination game on Tuesday afternoon to set the six-team field for the double-elimination the rest of the week.

Sixth-seeded Bethel and seventh-seeded Georgetown (Ky.)  were battling it out when storms forced the game to be suspended in the seventh with the Wildcats leading 3-2.

Trailing 2-0 into the fifth, the Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to grab a 3-2 lead. Zayden McCaslin had an RBI single which was followed by a two run RBI single by Juan Diego Ramos.  Zachary Zimmer and Klayton Wright combined to hold the Tigers to just four hits. 

Play resumed Wednesday at 9 a.m.

The Cats (12-28) won and advanced in dramatic fashion. McCaslin was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the tenth. He stole second. Ramos was intentionally walked. Two outs later, Bethel won with an RBI double to right field off the bat of Cade Pilkinton which sent the Cats to a 4-3 victory.   

The Cats out hit the Tigers 12-5. Matt Ray and Peyton Martin were sterling in relief.  Martin picked up the win for the Wildcats. 

Bethel now plays top-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.) (41-7, 16-2) at 11 a.m. The Pats are ranked No. 5 in the nation.

UC beat Bethel three times during the regular season winning all three games in early April in McKenzie.  

No. 2-seed Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) (32-15, 10-7) faces No. 5-seed Campbellsville (Ky.) (25-21, 6-12) later in the day. The Lions won all three games with the Tigers this season in Henderson, Tenn.

Third-seeded Cumberland (Tenn.) (23-25, 10-8) meets fourth-seeded Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (19-27, 9-9) in Wednesday's final game.  Lindsey Wilson won two of three games with the Phoenix in Lebanon, Tenn.

The double-elimination tournament continues through Saturday.

All tournament games will be free to watch on the Mid-South Conference Network hosted by the Urban Edge Network.

Tickets are available for purchase through the Hot Rods Ticket website.

Fans attending the games are reminded that Bowling Green Ballpark is a cashless facility. Fans may not bring outside food into the park, and there is a clear-bag only policy at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Tournament Page:

https://mid-southconference.org/sports/2026/4/28/BB_0427264636.aspx