By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
A week ago the T.R. Miller Tigers put their backs against the wall when they dropped an Area doubleheader to Andalusia. While T.R. Miller is still in a must-win situation with that part of its schedule, it has since started to right the ship.
The Tigers (9-7) ran their winning streak to four games and moved two games above the .500 mark for the first time this season Friday when they swept a pair from the visiting Monroe County Tigers with an 5-4 triumph in game one and an 8-3 win in game two.
John Mathieu hurled a complete game six-hitter in the opener, as he struck out seven. Only one of Monroe County's runs was earned.
The visiting Tigers took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning when T.R. Miller strung together a pair of runs that put them ahead for good. A walk to Becker Denton, a passed ball and a single by Mackie Jackson set up a game-tying sacrifice fly by Allen Williams and a go-ahead RBI single by Will Waters.
Baxley Raines led T.R. Miller at the plate with an RBI triple in the first inning. Raines also singled and scored on an error in the fifth when the host Tigers ran their lead up to 5-3.
T.R. Miller built a 5-0 lead over the first three innings of game two and never looked back.
Starter Derek Busby allowed two runs over five innings to get the win, as he allowed four hits and struck out five. James Hamric allowed one run and one hit over the last two frames to close things out.
Doubles by Tanner Shehan and Denton and singles by Jackson and Williams sparked T.R. Miller to a three-run rally in the first inning.
Denton had his second of three hits, a single, that sparked a two-run uprising in the third. A walk to Jackson, a run-scoring error and an RBI groundout by Williams built the rest of the early cushion.
T.R. Miller also got two unearned runs in the fourth and another in the sixth on an RBI single by Raines.
T.R. Miller gets back into Area action Tuesday when it plays a 4 p.m. doubleheader at Hillcrest-Evergreen.
Game one
Monroe Co. 020 100 1 – 4 6 2
T.R. Miller 200 210 X – 5 6 3
Game two
Monroe Co. 000 201 0 – 3 5 3
T.R. Miller 302 201 X – 8 8 2
Tigers edge Jay
T.R. Miller completed a season sweep of the Jay, Royals Thursday with a 3-1 win at the Florida school Thursday.
Baxley Raines improved his season mark to 5-1, as he threw a complete game four-hitter. Raines struck out six and walked two.
The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth when T.R. Miller scored all three of its runs.
Tanner Shehan, who led the Tigers with a pair of hits, started the decisive rally with a single and stole second. Seth Holland also singled and Raines hit into a fielder's choice. Becker Denton got T.R. Miller on the board with an RBI single and an error on the play allowed courtesy runner Corey Williams also to score. After Christopher Griffin grounded out, Mackie Jackson added a little insurance with an RBI single.
At Jay
T.R. Miller 000 003 0 - 3 7 3
Jay 000 000 1 - 1 4 1
Tigers club Northview
T.R. Miller avenged an earlier 2-1 loss at Northview with an 11-3 drubbing of the visiting Chiefs Tuesday.
Mackie Jackson went the distance to pick up his first win of the season after an 0-4 start. Four of the seven runs Northview scored were unearned.
Baxley Raines had three singles and two RBIs to lead T.R. Miller at the plate, while Allen Williams had a pair of hits and drove in two runs. Brice Martin contributed a two-run double.
T.R. Miller snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the fifth with an eight-run rally.
The Tigers got an RBI single from Raines, a bases-loaded walk to Williams, a two-run double by Martin, an RBI fielder's choice by Tanner Shehan and an RBI single by Seth Holland to spark the rally.
At T.R. Miller
Northview 021 000 4 - 7 9 5
T.R. Miller 300 080 X - 11 9 3