Thomas County Central’s baseball team staved off a potential Cairo comeback on Tuesday night, as the Yellow Jackets took a close 9-8 win over the Syrupmakers.

In the fourth, with Cairo leading 2-1, Central runners crossed the plate five times to give the Yellow Jackets a 6-2 lead going into the fifth. However, the Syrupmakers refused to go quietly, putting up five runs of their own in the next half inning to take the lead right back at 7-6.

Central’s Doug Smith and Kaleb Carter notched two-out RBI hits in the bottom of the sixth to retake the advantage for good, with Carter’s hit bringing in the decisive run.

“The thing I was the most proud of was our bats,” Central coach Chad Parkerson said. “They really bailed us out.”

Smith and Carter ended their nights 2-for-3 and 1-for-4, respectively. Central’s Jackson NeSmith went 3-for-4 with two RBIs — a triple away from the cycle with a single, a double and a home run. Ethan Hopper earned the win from the mound, striking out three over 1.2 innings.

For Cairo, Seth Hurst brought four runners home and scored one run himself during a 2-for-4 performance. DJ Collins, Austin Shattles, Garrett Gainous and Spence Cooper each brought in one run.

The Syrupmakers will be back in action at home against Westover Thursday at 5:30, while the Yellow Jackets will travel to play a doubleheader against Warner Robins on Friday.