By Staff
FROM STAFF REPORTS
There have been better weekends for the T.R. Miller Tigers baseball program.
First, the Tigers had a seventh inning lead disappear in a loss to Andalusia Friday night that put the Tigers' backs against the wall in their quest to make the state playoffs.
T.R. Miller saw its record drop back to the .500 mark Saturday when it dropped both ends of a three-team doubleheader at Gulf Shores.
The Tigers (10-10) came up on the short end of a 9-6 decision to the Davidson Warriors in the first game and a 3-1 score to the host Gulf Shores Dolphins in game two.
The lone lead T.R. Miller had in either game came in the top of the second inning against Davidson when Seth Holland delivered a two-run single. Holland went on to have four hits in the game and five overall for the day.
Two of the Tigers' five errors came in the bottom of the second inning and enabled Davidson to cut the lead to 2-1. The Warriors tied the game at 2-2 on Kyle Odom's sacrifice an inning later.
The key frame of the game came in the bottom of the fourth when Davidson strung together a four-run rally to move in front 6-2. The key blow was Curtis Austin's two-run single. That lead reached 7-2 an inning later when Austin walked with the bases loaded.
Becker Denton had a two-run single late in the game for the Tigers and Allen Williams also had an RBI hit. Stephen Mathews joined Williams in the two-hit club for the game with a single and a double.
T.R. Miller starting hurler John Mathieu suffered the loss, as he allowed five earned runs on six hits and five walks in three and one-third innings of work.
Gulf Shores pitcher Eric Linkenhoker outdueled T.R. Miller pitcher Baxley Raines in game two.
Both pitchers allowed just six hits, as Linkenhoker fanned 10 and Raines whiffed six.
Gulf Shores never trailed after Auburn recruit D.J. Jones tripled and scored on an error in the bottom of the first inning.
The Dolphins (16-7) extended their lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth. Jones singled and stole both second and third. Evan Stringfellow walked and stole second to set up a two-run single by Linkenhoker.
The lone run Linkenhoker allowed was unearned. T.R. Miller broke up his shutout bid in the top of the sixth when Williams reached on an error and scored all the way from first base on a wild pickoff throw.
Williams had two of T.R. Miller's six hits. Will Waters, Denton, Kendall Land and Holland all added one.
T.R. Miller, which hosted Hillcrest-Evergreen Tuesday, is home against Excel for a 4 p.m. game Thursday followed by a key Class 4A Area 2 home game against W.S. Neal Friday at 6 p.m. The Tigers need a victory against Hillcrest, a win over W.S. Neal and a loss by W.S. Neal at Andalusia next Tuesday in order to make the postseason field.
Game one
T.R. Miller 020 002 2 - 6 9 5
Davidson 011 411 X - 9 10 1
Game two
T.R. Miller 000 001 0 - 1 6 2
Gulf Shores 100 200 X - 3 6 2