Georgia Bombers and Five-Star Tigers (Stewart) both started the first game of the Triple Crown U.S. Club Nationals 11u division looking for a quick victory. Three hours later, it would be the Bombers who would grind out the win, scoring twice in the sixth and five times in the eighth for an 8-6 (8) victory over the Tigers.
“We just played with a never say die attitude,” said coach Matt Carter. “Our pitching did a great job of carrying us and giving us a big lift until our offense kicked in. Both teams really played hard and played a really good game.” Down 3-1 entering the top of the sixth, the Bombers started the rally with a double to left field by Ty Petrovich. After a wild pitch and a walk put runners on the corners, a second wild pitch bounced to the backstop and brought in Petrovich to make it 3-2. After another wild pitch, Brady Corkill’s single to left brought home the tying run. The Bombers had a chance to take the lead, but the Tigers were able to turn a wild 7-2-1 double play to get out of the inning. The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the sixth to walk off with the win, but with the bases loaded and one out, a fielder’s choice knocked out a runner at the plate for the second out, then a strike out by Nick Lanning closed out the inning. In the seventh, with the International Tiebreaker Rule in effect, the Bombers put runners on second and third with one out, but Tigers’ pitcher Schuyler Sandford got out of the jam thanks to a pair of strikeouts. In the bottom of the frame, the Bombers would force an eighth inning as the potential winning run was gunned down at the plate on a ground ball to second. Both teams would break through in the eighth, with the Bombers holding a 5-3 advantage in the second extra inning. After a wild pitch scored the first run, Lanning’s sacrifice fly brought in the second tally of the inning. Corkill would reach on an error at first, allowing a run to score from third to make it 6-3. With runners on second and third and two outs in the frame, the big blow of the inning came off the bat of Zion Stephens. His single into left-center scored a pair to make it 8-3. The Tigers bounced back in the eighth inning, but would come up short. Keegan Stewart’s infield hit scored Jonathan Knight to make it an 8-4 contest. With one out and two men in scoring position, Misael Alamo’s single to left brought in a run and made it 8-5. A wild pitch would score a run for the Tigers to make it 8-6, but with the tying run on base, a ground out to third ended the contest with the Bombers holding on for an 8-6 win. Both teams would get on the board in the first, with the Bombers scoring on an RBI single by Lanning. Alamo knotted the score in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single of his own. In the third, the Tigers inched ahead on an RBI single by Andrew Johnson. The Tigers notched an insurance run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Johnson, setting the stage for the late-inning drama. The Bombers would next face the Fieldhouse Pirates at 1:40 p.m., with the Tigers battling South Bay Surf in their next contest. Tags: Baseball, Triple Crown Baseball, US Club Nationals |
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