The Tigers
concluded their "road" schedule for the season
against the Sluggers tonight, taking the visitors role for the
seventh time in nine games. Batting in the top half of
each inning, they kept the pressure on the Sluggers through
the entire game.
Caroline Kilday got things going for
the Tigers in the first inning, getting hit by a Hanna Wilson
pitch and stealing to third while Allyson Williams fought off
a third strike with a foul ball before following suit and
being hit herself. Katie Westmoreland didn't stay at the
plate long enough to get hit, singling on the first pitch to
her and driving in Caroline from third. After a pair of
strikeouts put the inning in jeopardy, consecutive walks to
Brittany Leeper, Irene
Tsinajinnie, and Tina Savic forced in
two runs, and the Tigers took to the field to defend their 3-0
lead.
Katie
started the inning
off as Wilson had, hitting the leadoff batter. Jamie
Dennis followed with a rare hit off Katie (only the third hit
Katie has allowed this season), scoring the runner from second
base. A pair of walks loaded the bases for Wilson, who
was hit by Katie's first pitch (retaliation in PeeWee softball?).
After settling down and striking out the next batter, a full
count walk pushed in the third Sluggers' run across, sending
the game into the second inning tied 3-3.
The Sluggers' pitchers continued to
struggle to find the strike zone, following up the walks to
the final three batters of the first inning with five more to
start the second. Stami
Luchette, Ashley
Favors, Kinsey
Phillips, Caroline, and
Allyson each trotted out to the plate
and on to first base before Katie put an end to the parade
with her second single, driving in two and giving the Tigers a
6-3 lead.
Rutherford Stephens
took the mound in
the second inning, but couldn't get in synch. After a
2-2 count to the first batter she faced, she missed on 14
straight pitches, bringing Audrey Hipple in to relieve
her. Audrey pitched well in her second outing, notching
her first strikeout, but she
inherited a hole to deep to pitch out of, and the game moved
on to the third tied again, now at 6-6.
Rutherford and
Audrey combined again,
this time to put the Tigers back into the lead. A
leadoff base on balls to Rutherford began the inning, and she
advanced to third while Audrey went to a 3-0 count.
Audrey hit the fourth pitch sharply to first, easily scoring
Rutherford and putting the Tigers ahead 7-6. The walk
parade began again, with passes to Brittany and
Tina before
Stami loaded the bases despite falling behind on a two strike
count. Ashley and
Kinsey each picked up RBIs on their
walks, placing the Tigers up three once again.
The lead was held this time, with
Katie returning to pitch the third inning. She struck
out the first batter, then yielded a pair of walks. With
the tying run at the plate, she struck out the next two
batters, setting the Tigers up for the open inning, looking to
pad their 9-6 lead.
The inning opened reminiscent of the Titans
game Monday night, when Tina,
leading off, was robbed of a hit by the shortstop.
Tonight it was Caroline's turn, a hard grounder to short
turned into the inning's first out. Allyson followed
with a short grounder toward third, but flew down the line to
beat out the infield hit easily. Katie lined the first
pitch into left-center field, Allyson scoring all the way from
first on the single. Rutherford banged a liner to
center, sending Katie barreling around third, but called back
when the play was stopped at the mound. Audrey went the
other way with a drive to the right field fence, scoring Katie
from third and Rutherford from first while the Sluggers made
the play at second to hold Audrey to a single.
Brittany
drove in the Tigers final run with a smash up the middle,
bringing Audrey around from first base for a 13-6 lead the
Tigers hoped would be insurmountable.
The Sluggers would not go away
quietly, and began to repeat the Tigers performance.
Starting a one out rally with a grounder to third, the
Sluggers' Alex Monroe was safe at first, advancing to second
on an overthrow. Dennis crushed a ball past third base
and to the fence in left, scoring the runner on a
double. Taylor Fleming followed with a single to close
to 13-8 before the Sluggers struck out for the second time in
the inning, putting the Tigers one out away without having
made a play in the field. Wilson came to bat, drilling a
grounder through the Tigers defense, all the way to the centerfield
fence. Audrey recovered the ball and threw in to
Kinsey
covering second. Just in time, Kinsey realized Wilson
was coming, and applied the tag for the out and the win.
The Tigers once again even their
record, now standing at 4-4, with consecutive games against
the division co-leading Panthers on deck. Should the
Tigers be able to knock the Panthers off twice, they should
overtake them for second place.
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Recent Results
Tuesday, May 1
Panthers
9, Sluggers 6
Wednesday, May 2
Titans 7,
Thrashers 6
Tigers 13, Sluggers 8
Upcoming Games
Thursday, May 3
Thrashers v
Lucky Shoals
(7:45)
Friday, May 4
Panthers v Tigers (7:45)
Tiger of the Game
After
a string of at bats focused more on not being hit by the ball
rather than hitting the ball, Stami Luchette hung in for a pair of
walks in tonight's game, one garnering an RBI. While even
bigger games are certainly upcoming for her, overcoming this
legitimate fear now paves the way for those future hits, and earns
her Tiger of the Game.
No newcomer to the honorable
mention list, Katie Westmoreland grabs another with her
game-turning scoreless third on the mound, and a perfect 3 for 3
at the plate.
Next Game
Date: Friday, May 4
Time: 7:45 PM
Opponent: Panthers
Drinks: Stephens
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