Long Sox Prevail in 12 Inning Pitcher's Duel
7/10/09
The Tigers returned to action on Friday night after the All-Star and Fourth of July break. They kicked off a busy weekend with a trip to Lamberton to take on the Long Sox. Each team plated a single run in the fifth and it stayed knotted at one a piece until the bottom of the twelfth. Starters Jake Miesen and Derrick Jenniges both went the distance for their teams, as the pitchers put zero after zero on the scoreboard in an epic battle.
Springfield was able to get a runner in scoring position during three of the first four innings. In the fifth, Alex Frank ripped a one-out double. Brent Haseleu followed with a bunt single, moving Frank to third. With two down, Matt Baier squeaked a single through between the first and second basemen to drive in Frank and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Jenniges helped himself leading off with a triple to deep right-center field. A walk put runners on first and third and the Long Sox executed a double steal to tie the game at one.
After allowing the run in the bottom of the fifth, Miesen settled in and retired fifteen of the next sixteen batters he faced. Springfield was again able to get a runner into scoring position in the sixth and eighth innings, but were unable to score. The Tigers had a great opportunity in the top of the tenth when the Long Sox started the inning with two straight errors. An intentional walk after a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with one out. Once the bases were loaded, Jenniges kicked it into another gear and retired the next eight batters he faced, never giving the Tigers another chance.
Lamberton got two runners on in the bottom of the tenth, but Miesen was able to work out of the jam. In the home half of the twelfth, a Tiger error put a runner on first with one out. A stolen base followed by a balk moved the runner to third. With the infield in, Brandon Salfer got his third straight hit, driving in the winning run, as the Long Sox pulled out a 2-1 victory.
Jake Miesen took the hard luck loss, pitching a great game, allowing just one earned run in 11 1/3 innings. Matt Baier, Jordan Milbrath, and Alex Frank led the Springfield offense with two hits each. Brandon Wilhelmi, Brady Schwab, and Brent Haseleu added one hit each to the Tiger total. The loss drops the Tigers' overall record to 8-14 and 7-10 in the Tomahawk East. They'll get right back to work on Saturday night when the St. James A's come to town for an 8pm match-up. The teams will play back-to-back games on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The Tigers hope to pick up some ground on the Patriot Division leading A's in the match-ups. We'll see you at Riverside Park!
Linescore
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E | LOB | |
| Springfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| Lamberton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
Springfield Box
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | ||
| B. Wilhelmi, C | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Baier, 3B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | SAC |
| Schwab, SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2B, SAC(2) |
| Salazar, 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Milbrath, LF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Fink, DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Christensen, DH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Miesen, P | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Sather, CF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Frank, RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2B |
| Haseleu, 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Brandl, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 44 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ||
| Miesen (L, 1-4) | 11 1/3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
Pictures
