Cairo's Christian McDugle hits a double in the fourth inning against Carver-Columbus at Jackie Robinson Field on Friday night.

CAIRO — Cairo’s baseball team moved to 7-1 in Region 1-4A on Friday night, utilizing a nine-run fourth to cruise by Carver-Columbus 10-0 in five innings.

The Tigers came into the game as clear underdogs, having amassed only two wins all year, none of them against region opponents. Despite that, Carver was competitive for the first three innings behind starting pitcher Eric Jenkins.

Cairo scored its first run of the game in the second, when John Michael Owens came around to score from second on a RBI double from JT Andrews. Despite that, the Syrupmakers were still in the process of getting settled in.

“We’re more of a second or third time through kind of team,” Cairo assistant head coach Chris Wheaton said. “It takes us a few at-bats to get comfortable.”

And the Syrupmakers got very, very comfortable.

Beginning with an error on Carver’s center fielder that put Blake Touchton on, Cairo began its big inning that put the nail in the Tigers’ coffin. Seth Hurst brought Touchton and Christian McDugle in with a one-out double, which was followed by a RBI single from Emerson Hancock. Owens later followed that up with another double that brought three more runs across.

In the nine-run frame, the Syrupmakers registered four hits and three walks, while also taking advantage of two fielding errors.

Cairo starting pitcher Hurston Waldrop, a freshman, picked up the win, allowing four hits and striking out three in five innings of work. The game served as a chance for him to gain some playing time, which is important with the number of key seniors that Cairo is set to graduate at season’s end.

“I’ve got a couple of freshman pitchers that are pretty good,” Wheaton said. “I’m trying to find games here and there where I can get them some experience.”

The Syrupmakers, who hold the best record in the region, will take a break before playing in a subregion crossover game against Columbus — the team with the second best mark — on the road next Friday.