The Tigers sought to go over .500 for the first time this season, but needed to beat the Titans to do so.
After losing their season opener to the Tigers, the Titans were on a four game win streak, battling the Panthers for first place.
The Tigers faced Kendra Bryson to start the game. Bryson had effectively intimidated the Tigers in their last meeting, but the Tigers attitude seemed better in this go around.
Unfortunately, instead of freezing up in the dugout in anticipation, they waited to freeze in the batter's box.
Allyson Williams drew a one out walk, and scored on Rutherford Stephens' single to the right side, but
Rutherford was stranded at third as the Tigers went down three times on strikes, each time watching strike three.
The 1-0 lead was erased in the bottom of the inning, despite a fine performance by
Katie Westmoreland.
After striking out leadoff batter Shelby Flowe, Olivia Morgan and Bryson each walked on a full count, and Kaley Moore loaded the bases with another pass. Shelby Reed became
Katie's second strikeout victim,
putting the Tigers on the verge of closing the inning unharmed.
A short bout with wildness pushed two runs across, however, on a walk and a hit batsman, before
Katie finished the inning with her third strikeout.
Down just a run, the Tigers went back to work.
Brittany Leeper drew a walk, and
Irene Tsinajinnie was struck by a pitch to put the lead runner on base with no one out.
After a strikeout, Tina Savic walked the bases full. Still, the Tigers could not
capitalize, striking out twice. Again, the Tigers had struck out three times, and again all on called third strikes.
Katie's return to the mound was less successful.
Despite continuing to stay in and around the strike zone, three errant pitches hit batters to go along with three walks.
She did pick up another strikeout - on Moore, the Titans cleanup hitter.
Now behind 5-1, the Tigers needed to pull closer to avoid a deficit like the
9-1 hole they put themselves in against the Titans last time.
A pair of base on balls to Caroline Kilday and
Allyson started things off, and
Rutherford loaded the bases with one out on a
third walk. Audrey Hipple hit a shot to first, too hot to handle, but retrieved for the out while
Caroline scored.
Brittany walked the bases back full, and
Irene drew an RBI walk to close the gap to 5-3.
Rutherford pitched the third for the Tigers, yielding a four pitch walk to the first batter, but settling down to strike out the next on three pitches.
The third strike was turned into a double play, the Tigers first of the season, when
Allyson gunned down the Titans' runner at third,
Ashley Favors applying the tag.
With two outs and no one on base, Rutherford dueled with her true namesake on the Titans, Cecelia Dillingham.
With the count even at 2-2, Dillingham fought off three straight pitches before yielding, finally missing for strike three.
The game now moved to the open inning, the Tigers very much alive, down 5-3.
Tina ripped a pitch to short, where Morgan came up firing to first to rob her of a hit.
With momentum turned to the Titans, the Tigers failed to score, turning to their own defense to give them another chance.
They nearly did. Flowe, the Titans leadoff batter, hit first,
popping up foul to
Katie for a quick out. Morgan, who had just robbed
Tina minutes earlier, was robbed herself.
Crushing the first pitch to center,
Audrey reacted quickly, moving to her glove side to snare the bullet
in what was likely the best play either for or against the Tigers all season.
Bryson took a strike on the first pitch - perhaps wary after two outs on two pitches - then fouled off three, leaving the Tigers one pitch away from the end of the inning.
But Bryson grounded hard through the left side for a hit, and Moore followed with a hit to the fence in left, scoring Bryson and herself
as the Tigers made a couple errant throws. The inning ended with a strikeout, literally just moments too late for the
Tigers...time had expired.
The win propels the Titans back into a first place tie with the Panthers, and leaves the Tigers safely in third, with little opportunity to move up in the final five games of the season. Barring a
collapse against the Thrashers and Sluggers, they are unlikely to move down, either, and so will now focus on preparation for the post-season tournament.
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Recent Results
Saturday, April 28
Sluggers 11,
Thrashers 7
Titans v Panthers (postponed)
Monday, April 30
Titans 7,
Tigers 3
Upcoming Games
Tuesday, May 1
Panthers v Sluggers
(7:45)
Wednesday, May 2
Thrashers v
Titans (6:00)
Tigers v Sluggers (7:45)
Tiger of the Game
Nearly
as noteworthy for its timing as for the play itself,
Audrey Hipple flashed some leather, turning an extra base hit
into a dramatic out with a grab in centerfield off Olivia
Morgan. The play alone was enough to gain her Tiger of
the Game, but she also knocked in one of the Tigers runs with
a bullet to first.
Honorable mention goes
to Tina Savic for her near-hit earlier in the same inning, and
to Rutherford
Stephens, who pitched a three up, three down
inning and picked up the Tigers only hit of the game.
Next Game
Date: Wednesday, April 30
Time: 7:45 PM
Opponent: Titans
Drinks: Stephens
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