Tigers connect for 3 home runs, make four errors

The No. 1 ranked Class 3A T.R. Miller Tigers (19-1) lost its first game of the season to the No. 6 ranked  Class 3A Mobile Christian Leopards (12-6) on Friday, 10-9. Leopard senior Grayson Williams supplied the heroics in the ninth inning, crushing a home run to left field on a 3-1 count. The home run was Williams second of the game.

Both the Tigers and Leopards came out hot with the bats with both Miller and MC scoring seven runs through three innings. Drew Williamson continued swinging a hot stick Friday, connecting for a three-run homerun in the second inning. Jo Jo Booker followed Williamson with a towering solo homerun to left field to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead at the time. MC responded with a two-run homerun in the bottom of the inning by Samuel Ladner. After the Tigers scored a run in the third inning, MC tied the game with a 2-run homerun by Williams at 7-7.

The scoring stalled with Miller adding runs in the fourth and fifth innings on a sacrifice fly by O’Neil White and solo homerun by Williamson. MC chipped away with a run in the sixth inning to make the score 9-8. The Leopards were facing two outs in the bottom of the seventh when Luke Jones singled. The following batter Carter Buzbee connected for a double to left center field to score Jones and send the game into extra innings. Both teams were unable to get anything going until the Williams walk-off homerun in the bottom of the ninth.

Two of the top-10 teams in Class 3A combined for six homeruns and 23 hits. Defensively the Tigers made four errors in the field, compared to two by the Leopards.

Williamson was 2-for-3 with two homeruns, 4 RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Tigers. Hunter Brittain was 4-for-5. White was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Russell Smith pitched seven innings allowing nine runs, six earned, with one walk. Caleb Winton came into the game in relief of Smith in the eighth inning. Winton received the loss on the mound, striking out three batters but surrendering the winning run in the ninth.

MC used four pitchers in the victory. Jeffery Griffin picked up the win on the mound.

The Tigers will play Fairhope in a double header Fri., April 1 beginning at noon.