Tigers Use Two Big Innings to Beat Reds

6/17/12

The Tigers planned to celebrate Father's Day with a scheduled doubleheader, game one in Gibbon at 2pm and a night game in Searles at 7:30pm. Rain put a kink in the day's plans, but both teams wanted to wait it out to try to get the game in. After a significant amount of trenching, sweeping, hauling, and dragging, the field was playable and the game's first pitch came at 4:05pm. The Reds jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers battled back taking the lead 7-3 in the third inning and crusied to a 13-6 victory.

Matt Tews made his first start of the season for Springfield. After a lead-off base hit, Tews got the next two batters, but then came another single. Next, Gibbon hurler Sam Van Hon helped himself when he launched a three-run homer over the leftfield fence.

Springfield went to work in the top of the second. Singles from Christian Loomis and Jacob Menage, combined with a walk and Gibbon error, put the Tigers within one, 3-2.

After the homer in the first, Tews settled in and faced no more than four batters in any inning until the bottom of the seventh. He also retired thirteen straight batters after an infield single in the bottom of the third.

In the top of the third, Alex Fink led-off with a single. A walk to Ryan Sturm, followed by a bunt single by Tews loaded the bases. Marc Salazar put Springfield on top with a two-run base hit. A walk to Jacob Menage reloaded the bases with two outs. Zach Bisel and Matt Vogel followed with back-to-back singles to push across three more runs and put the Tigers up 7-3.

A hit batter with two down in the bottom of the seventh cost Tews when Jason Berger connected on a two-run bomb to right. Van Hon kept Springfield off the scoreboard after the big third inning, but the round-tripper in the bottom of the seventh reawakened the Tiger bats.

Vogel began the eighth with a single. Fink laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached via a Red miscue. Max Salazar, who entered the game for an injured Sturm, reached to load the bases. A walk and single ended the day for Van Hon. Wade Werner took over on the mound. After four straight run producing at-bats, he worked his way out of the inning with Springfield up 13-5.

The Reds began the home half of the eighth with three straight hits, yielding a run. Tanner Buettner and Vogel took over the mound duties in the ninth for the Reds and Tigers respectively. Both worked a scoreless inning, making the final 13-6.

Zach Bisel and Jacob Menage bookended the Tiger order with three hits each. Matt Vogel, Matt Tews, and Christian Loomis added two hits each. Alex Fink and Marc Salazar rounded out the Tiger attack with one hit apiece. Kyle Maurer and Justin Schwecke led the Reds with two hits each. Tews earned the victory, working a solid eight innings, allowing six earned runs, on eight hits, with five strikeouts. Sam Van Hon took the loss, working seven innings, giving up twelve runs, eight earned, on twelve hits, with three strikeouts, but eight free passes.

The win improves Springfield's record to 4-4 in league play and 4-8 overall on the season. Upon completion of game one of the day, the Tigers hustled over to Searles for game two.

Linescore

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E	LOB
Springfield	0	2	5	0	0	0	0	6	0	13	14	0	11
Gibbon	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	6	8	4	6

Springfield Box

	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO
Bisel, C	6	0	3	4	0	1
Haseleu, CR	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vogel, LF/3B/P	4	1	2	1	1	0	SAC
A. Fink, SS	5	2	1	0	0	0	SAC
R. Sturm, 3B	0	1	0	0	3	0
Mx. Salazar, PR/LF	3	1	0	0	0	1
Tews, P/3B	3	2	2	1	3	0
Loomis, 2B	6	1	2	1	0	1
M. Salazar, 1B	3	2	1	3	1	0	SAC
Beyer, CF	4	1	0	0	0	2
Brandl, PH	1	0	0	1	0	0
Menage, RF	4	2	3	1	1	0
	39	13	14	12	9	5
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Tews (W, 1-0)	8	8	6	6	1	5
Vogel	1	0	0	0	2	1

Pictures