On the heels of
their most disappointing performance of the season, the Tigers
finally returned to the field a week later; three scheduled
games in between had been postponed due to Girl Scout
conflicts and rain. The layoff seemed to do them good,
coming back to play one of their sharpest games to date.
Home for just the second time this season,
the Tigers fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first, pulling to
a tie in the bottom half. Caroline Kilday opened with a
walk, and Allyson Williams was hit with ball four. Katie
Westmoreland singled on a full count pitch to drive in
Caroline, sending Allyson to third. Allyson scored the
Tigers second run as Rutherford Stephens grounded to first,
and three walks to Audrey Hipple, Brittany Leeper, and Irene Tsinajinnie
pushed the tying run across.
Rutherford came in to pitch the second
inning, jumping ahead of the first Thrasher batter 0-2 before
losing her on balls. Another walk followed before
picking up a strikeout on the third batter. She couldn't
turn the inning around, though, walking the next four, and
giving the Thrashers a 6-3 lead.
The Tigers could do little in the second but
to walk around the bases, drawing just four strikes to seven
batters. Stami Luchette started the inning off with a
base on balls, but was later retired on a delayed steal of
third. Meanwhile, Tina Savic drew the first three of 13
consecutive balls to complete her walk, followed by Ashley
Favors. The bases were loaded when Kinsey Phillips was
hit by the first pitch to her, and Tina scored on another walk
to Caroline. The string of balls ended after one to
Allyson, but three followed to push Ashley across and pull
within one. Katie finished the inning by hitting the
first pitch to short for a single, scoring Kinsey from third
and tying the game at six.
Rutherford started the third inning, hoping
to capitalize on her near-success in the second. She
started out by hitting Jessica Cook, the Thrashers cleanup
batter, then striking out Gretchen Hendrix. Wildness
then returned, walking the next two batters on eight pitches
to load the bases. Katie was called on to get the Tigers
out of a tough spot. After running the count full to the
first batter she faced, she walked in a run on ball four, then
missed on four straight to the next, putting the Thrashers
ahead 8-6. Katie then really went to work, striking out
the next batter on three pitches, all called strikes, and then
striking out the Thrashers leadoff batter to close the inning.
The Tigers did not put Katie's performance
to waste, nor were they really given the chance. Only
three strikes found their way to the Tiger batters, every
second batter seeing one of them. Rutherford, Audrey,
Brittany, Irene, Stami, and Tina marched to the plate and
around the bases until the Tigers picked up their three runs
and a 9-8 lead.
In the open fourth inning, with the
Thrashers' manager pitching, the Tigers for the first time
allowed a team to mount an offense. A triple to the
fence started things, halted for a moment on a strikeout on
the second batter. Cook followed with a hard grounder
that bounced off Katie's glove at first, but right to an
always-in-the-right-spot Kinsey. Still, Katie was taken
by surprise by the fortunate bounce, and couldn't navigate the
tricky footwork to retreat to first and take the throw - when
the throw came early, it hit the spun-around Katie in the
back, allowing Cook to go to second, the game now tied
9-9. Hendrix slapped another hard grounder right to
Kinsey, but a high hop just over her glove eluded her, and
Cook scored the lead run. With two strikes on the next
batter, she dribbled a ball in front of the plate for a hit,
the Thrashers lead now extended to 11-9. A grounder to
Allyson at third prompted calls of "Pitcher!" from
the dugout, content to stop the play and keep the force alive,
but instead Allyson executed a sparkling pickup and throw to
Kinsey at second, nipping the runner for the second out.
The Thrashers' next batter bounced to Caroline at the mound,
throwing to first to retire the side.
Ashley led off for the Tigers, needing two
run for the tie, and three to win. After fouling off two
pitches, she ripped a single through the left side, bringing
up Kinsey, who drilled a pitch into right-center field,
holding at first while Ashley scored. Caroline picked up
an infield single, taking second as the Thrashers held Kinsey
at third. Kinsey went home as the Thrashers tried to
catch Caroline, but instead threw the ball into centerfield,
Caroline ending up at third, even though she quite likely
could have scored. Katie took care of that shortly,
smashing a double to knock her in for the winning run.
The win once again evens the Tigers record,
this time at 3-3. The Tigers remain unbeaten in home
games, producing their biggest open innings in those two
games. With home team status in five of the final seven
games, they'll look to keep that up.
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Recent Results
Sunday, April 22
Titans 11, Sluggers 10
Monday, April 23
Panthers 11, Thrashers 3
Tuesday, April 24
Tigers v
Sluggers - postponed
Thursday, April 26
Tigers 11, Thrashers 10
Upcoming Games
Saturday, April 28
Sluggers v Thrashers (11:15)
Titans v Panthers (4:30)
Monday, April 30
Tigers v Titans (7:45)
Tiger of the Game
A walk and two runs scored
added to the Tigers effort today, but Tiger of the Game goes to
Ashley Favors for starting the Tigers game-winning rally by
fighting off a two strike count with a stinging single,
setting the tone for Kinsey Phillip's duplicate effort.
An honorable mention goes to
Katie Westmoreland, who pitched the Tigers out of trouble in
the third inning and garnered the Tigers first three
hit game of the season.
Next Game
Date: Monday, April 30
Time: 7:45 PM
Opponent: Titans
Drinks: Westmoreland
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