Tiger Baseball split games with McCallum
It had all the trappings of a playoff series and really it was other than a best of three. The series with McCallum was for all the marbles in District 25-5A and matched teams ranked in the top five for Central Texas. The Tigers had put themselves in a tough situation when they lost a game earlier in this weak district and forced them to have to defeat the Knights twice to take the district title. They almost pulled it off as both games were decided in the bottom of the seventh. Each team has two games left but should not lose. The Tigers lost the first game 2-1 which basically sealed the deal for McCallum but pride took over in the second as the Tigers won 9-6. The games were opposites as the first featured pitching and the second hitting.
The zero got a workout in the first game with a scoreless first five innings. Nick Gullo opened with a double, moved to third on an error, then scored on Brennan Frickel's single in the sixth. They would leave two stranded. The Knight pitcher would strike out the side in the top of the seventh to set up the fatal ending. The leadoff batter singled, was bunted to second, reached third on a hit and scored on an error. The winning run came on a single, error and double.
Whereas the pitchers avoided hitting bats in the first game, they could not seem to miss them in the second as 26 hits were stroked. It looked like the blahs for the Tigers were in action as the Knights opened with two runs in the first, added one in the third and three more in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. However, the Tigers just kept battling back. In the first, with two outs, Zach Tjelmeland survived two pop fouls that were catchable and made them pay with a triple to deep center. RJ Cabela added a clutch single for the score. Ty Kaatz would single and later score on a fielder's choice in the fourth. In the fifth Nico Ramirez would walk, advance to second on a passed ball and scored on a long fly.
The sixth gave the Tigers hope they could pull it out. Ryan Davenport singled and scored on a double. With two outs, Cabela reached on a fielder's choice and Ramirez singled. Chris Tyree doubled the two in and was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. The hustle of the runner ahead allowed him to cross the plate before the out was made. Tie game. On to the seventh.
Again, two-out situation. Gullo made it to first on a fielder's choice and Davenport followed with a walk. Frickel stepped to the plate to face a pitcher throwing a slow tantalizing curve ball. He caught it on the nose and launched the ball into the darkness beyond the leftcenter field fence as the outfielder watched helplessly. Either way the stroke would have brought in the winning run but this was more dramatic.
During the game, the Tigers had made poor running decisions to erase scoring chances. The worst almost occurred on the homerun. The trail runner, after rounding second base, unbelievably decided it was time to celebrate the win and circled back to congratulate Frickel who was between first and second. Fortunately, Frickel had the presence of mind to recognize the situation and know the rule. He motioned the runner to turn around and keep circling the bases. Had he carried through with his mission, he would have been declared out and run would not have counted.
The Tigers will finish up district play against Reagan.
Vs McC1: Hits: Davenport, Frickel, Ramirez, Gullo 2B. Pitch: Gullo: 5.2IP, 3H, 0R, 8K, 4W. Nathan Koch: .2IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 1W. Garrett Kane: .0IP, 1H.
Vs McC2: Hits: Tjelmeland 3 (2B, 3B), Davenport 2, Frickel 2 (HR), Ramirez 2, Kaatz 2, Cabela, Tyree 2B, Gullo. Pitch: Tjelmeland: 3.1IP, 8H, 6R, 6ER, 7K, 2W. Aidan Seligman: .2IP, 2H, 1K. Cabela: 3IP, 2H, 3K, 1W.