Tiger Bats Come Alive to Even Series
7/27/08
The second game of the series was scheduled to be played in Searles on Sunday afternoon. Rain originally delayed the game until 4pm and eventually caused the game to be moved to Hanska at 8pm because the Searles field doesn't have lights. Just prior to the Springfield versus Searles matchup, Hanska defeated St. James to earn a spot in the Region 2C Tournament.
Searles drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. Tiger starter Matt Tews allowed three straight hits as the Grizzlies took a 1-0 lead. The Springfield defense was key, as they turned two double plays behind Tews and threw out a runner at the plate.
The third time was the charm in the top of the fifth, as the Tigers started their third time through the batting order. Brandon Wilhelmi started things with a walk, but he was thrown out attempting to steal second. Matt Baier was hit by a pitch and Brady Schwab followed with a single. Ryan Sturm tied the game with a double that was blasted to deep left-centerfield. Bob Fink put Springfield up by two when he drove in Schwab and Sturm with a solid single.
Searles took advantage of two Tiger errors in the bottom of the sixth, along with two hits to get back within one run, 3-2.
Springfield broke things open in the seventh. Ryan Sturm drew a four pitch walk. Fink followed with a single. Adam Beers smashed a double to drive in two runs. Dave Groebner ripped a double to rightfield to plate Springfield's third run of the inning. Matt Tews followed with a single giving the Tigers runners at first and third. An attempted pickoff throw to first was over thrown and allowed Groebner to come in to score. Wilhelmi singled to drive in the Tigers final run of the inning with Springfield in the lead 8-2.
The top of the eighth saw the Tigers extend their lead when Schwab and Ryan Sturm hit back-to-back singles. Fink drove in Schwab with a sacrifice fly making the score 9-2.
Tews allowed a run on two hits in the bottom of the eighth, his final inning of the night. Jon Diede came on for the Tigers, pitching a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
Matt Tews picked up his second win on the season on the mound. Bob Fink lead the Tiger bats with three hits. Brady Schwab, Ryan Sturm, and Matt Tews each added two hits to the Springfield attack.
The 9-3 win forces a decisive game three to be played Tuesday night back in Springfield. The winner will play Hanska on Wednesday night to determine seeding for the Region 2C Tournament. We'll see you at the ballpark!
Linescore
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB | |
| Springfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 9 |
| Searles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 10 |
Springfield Box
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | |||
| Wilhelmi, SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Baier, 3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | HP | |
| Schwab, 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| R. Sturm, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2B | |
| Fink, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Kraska, PH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | SAC | |
| Beers, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2B | |
| Krebs, LF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2B | |
| Groebner, DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2B | |
| A. Moritz, C | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Tews, P | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| C. Moritz, PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Brandl, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Diede, P | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| C. Sturm, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Z. Sturm, CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 36 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 5 | |||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |||
| Tews (W, 2-5) | 8 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Diede | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
Pictures
