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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 9, 2023 11:28:37 GMT -5
A week from tomorrow is opening day for college baseball.
I am so ready.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 9, 2023 12:44:06 GMT -5
LSU baseball player who transferred from Air Force Academy.
PAUL SKENES | FOLDS OF HONOR
MEETING SACRIFICE WITH HOPE
My name is Paul Skenes and I play baseball for LSU. Before this year, I spent two years playing baseball at the United States Air Force Academy. During my time at the Academy, I made friendships that will last a lifetime. Those friends helped me endure adversity, and that adversity shaped who I am today.
Playing baseball at Air Force was a privilege. When I arrived at the Academy, I became part of a large military family. When I joined the Air Force Baseball team, I became part of a more exclusive brotherhood of individuals who have served, fought, and in some cases, died in every conflict the United States has fought in since the establishment of the USAFA in 1958. Travis Wilkie and Nick Duran are the two most recent USAFA Baseball team members who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. These fantastic men deserve to be remembered by all Americans because of their willingness to sacrifice their lives for our country. While playing baseball at USAFA, Travis wore 20 and Nick wore 25. In honor of these men, I wore 25 when I played this past summer with Team USA and I now wear 20 at LSU.
All who wear, or have worn, our country's military uniforms have made tremendous sacrifices for our great nation. An unfortunate few bear the physical or mental scars of war or have made the ultimate sacrifice. The United States owes a tremendous debt to those who have served and are serving, and we must do everything we can to support those in the uniform of our nation’s military who have chosen to protect and defend the United States of America. Please join me in supporting this community this season.
HONOR THEIR SACRIFICE. EDUCATE THEIR LEGACY.
Folds of Honor is a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military and first responders who have fallen or been disabled. The educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, tuition for college, technical or trade school and post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program. Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded nearly 44,000 scholarships valued at nearly $200 million. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. It was founded by Lt Col Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot (with three combat tours in Iraq) and PGA Professional.
For more information visit foldsofhonor.org.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 10, 2023 11:26:21 GMT -5
Only a week until college baseball.
From Dandy Don's website:
"LSU Baseball Countdown to Game Day:
7 Days: Alex Milazzo
Alex Milazzo is from Zachary, La, right outside Baton Rouge, and was a four-year starting catcher at Zachary High. During that time, opponents quickly learned not to test his arm. In fact, Baseball Factory ranked Milazzo’s “pop” throwing time of 1.74 seconds No. 1 in the nation.
LSU fans discovered Milazzo’s remarkable arm as soon as he arrived at LSU. As a freshman in 2020, Milazzo started 13 games at catcher and threw out five runners attempting to steal. The following year, Milazzo started 47 games at catcher and threw out 15 base runners, leaving no doubt that he had a Major League-caliber arm. Milazzo’s elite defensive skills were never in question, but his offensive prowess has left a bit to be desired at times. Last year, Milazzo made progress in that regard and raised his batting average from .135 to .227 before suffering a knee injury in late February that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Now fully healthy, Milazzo is poised to lead LSU’s deep and talented catcher’s position. Coach Jay Johnson recently confirmed to me that Milazzo and true freshman Brady Neal will headline the position this year, with Milazzo bringing elite defensive skills and Neal providing another left-handed bat with power.
Three quick tidbits about Milazzo that you might not know: 1) He’s an avid outdoorsman who loves hunting and fishing. 2) According to BRProud, when he was born, his mother received purple and gold flowers from a friend with a note that said, “Hope to see him play at Alex Box Stadium one day.” That inspired the Milazzos to name him “Alex.” Last but not least, Alex’s middle name is Reed. That means his initials are “ARM.” Kind of fitting, right?"
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 11, 2023 12:40:43 GMT -5
From Dandy Don's website:
"LSU BASEBALL COUNTDOWN TO GAME DAY
DAY 6: Brayden Jobert
Brayden Jobert is a native of Slidell, Louisiana, who began his collegiate career at Nicholls State in 2020 before transferring to Delgado Community College in 2021 and LSU in 2022. Jobert absolutely crushed the ball at each of his first two stops and earned All-American recognition. And as most of you know well, he continued his hot hitting last year at LSU, finishing second on the team behind Dylan Crews in homers and RBI.
All of the above is what makes the following so exciting: When I asked coach Jay Johnson which returning player has shown the most improvement from a hitting standpoint, he didn’t hesitate to name Jobert. That’s saying a lot considering that Jobert hit 18 homers and drove in 58 runs in 2022.
Jobert played in 59 games last season with 57 starts — 48 as the designated hitter and the rest in the outfield. This year, he’s one of at least six outstanding candidates for LSU’s DH role, along with Paul Skenes (when he’s not pitching), Jared Jones, Josh Pearson, Cade Beloso, and Gavin Dugas. It’ll be interesting to see how coach Johnson makes optimal use of so much power potential.
One more tidbit about Jobert: His dad is a hitting coach/hitting instructor who also played college baseball at Delgado Community College and Nicholls State."
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 12, 2023 9:58:21 GMT -5
From Dandy Don's website:
"LSU BASEBALL COUNTDOWN TO GAME DAY
DAY 5: Ben Nippolt
Coach Jay Johnson has received a lot of positive press for the players he brought in from the transfer portal to address needs. But one portal addition who has kind of flown under the radar is infielder Ben Nippolt. Unlike Paul Skenes, Thatcher Hurd, Tommy White and Christian Little, Nippolt wasn’t named as one of the nation’s Top 100 most impactful transfers, but we fully expect him to make a big impact on the team. In fact, coach Jay Johnson told me last week that Nipolt was probably the leader in the battle for the starting role as second baseman and made it clear that Nippolt would play a lot there.
A 5-foot-11, 173-pounder from St. Paul, Minnesota, Nippolt took an indirect route to LSU. After high school, he went to Des Moines Community College, where he hit .318 and earned JUCO All-Conference recognition. From there, he went to Virginia Commonwealth, where he batted .308 and was a First-Team All-Atlantic 10 selection last year. This year, he wears No. 5 for the Tigers and is battling Jack Merrifield, Gavin Guidry and Gavin Dugas for playing time at second base.
Coach Johnson told me he thinks of Nippolt and Merrifield as “kind of the same guy.”
“They’re really good players for this team surrounding some of those key players. They’re going to play good defense; they’re going to get on base; they’re going to hit the ball with runners in scoring position.”
Chances are we’ll see one of the two — Nippolt or Merrifield — starting at second base five days from today."
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 13, 2023 12:38:25 GMT -5
From Dandy Don's website:
"LSU BASEBALL COUNTDOWN TO GAME DAY
DAY 4: Jordan Thompson
Jordan Thompson, who sports No. 4 for the Tigers, started 51 games at shortstop in 2021 and was named to the Freshman All-SEC team. His defense took a massive step back early last season and was a big reason why LSU had the lowest fielding percentage in the SEC, but it should be noted that Thompson had a knee procedure three weeks before the opener. It’s hard to say whether his defensive woes should be attributed to his knee or something between the ears. Perhaps it was both mental and physical. What’s easy to say, though, is that Thompson looked much better in the last 20 or so games and that coach Jay Johnson hasn’t lost any confidence in his shortstop.
“I’m really excited about Jordan Thompson’s development,” Johnson said during Media Day a few weeks ago. “He had a knee procedure literally like three weeks before opening night last year and we really had to nurse that. He performed terrific in the fall — he is clearly the shortstop right now.”
Johnson spoke in even more glowing terms about Thompson when I interviewed him last week. When I asked how Thompson was doing, Johnson didn’t hesitate. “Spectacular,” he said. “I have so much faith in his improvement. It’ll show more than I can say. Everybody will see it.”
One thing that was encouraging to see last year is that Thompson’s defensive woes didn’t really carry over to his offense. He launched a very memorable walk-off home run to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning on versus Oklahoma, lifting LSU to victory at Minute Maid Park in Houston. He also came through in several other big situations, like when his two-out RBI single in the NCAA Regional game at Southern tied the contest at 6-6.
If Thompson can continue to hit like that and play defense like he did at the end of last season, LSU should be in good shape with him at shortstop. And if he doesn’t, well, LSU has other options in Jack Merrifield, Gavin Guidry and Ben Nippolt."
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 14, 2023 11:23:24 GMT -5
From Dandy Don's website:
"One thing certainly generating a lot of excitement is LSU baseball, which gets underway in just four days. Unfortunately, there’s some bad news to report there.
According to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, LSU right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor will miss the season with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) elbow injury. Coach Johnson told me last week that Taylor was one of six pitchers who would either start or play a prominent, high-leverage role on the staff. LSU is deep and talented in the pitching department, but you hate to see this. Taylor really had a great summer and fall and was expected to do big things this year. Here’s wishing him a full recovery.
As for LSU’s pitching rotation on opening weekend, the only thing I can say with confidence at this time is that Paul Skenes will start the opener. The other two starters will likely be chosen from ChaseShores, Thatcher Hurd, Ty Floyd and Christian Little. I hope we’ll get a better feel for this after coach Jay Johnson’s time with the media later this week.
Sticking to the topic of baseball, you know from our Countdown to Game Day that coach Johnson will have a ton of options to work with when filling out his lineup card. Just for fun, here’s my best guess at a starting lineup, knowing well that it could be way off.
My best-guess lineup for LSU’s season opener:
1. 1B Tré Morgan 2. RF Josh Pearson 3. CF Dylan Crews 4. 3B Tommy White 5. DH Brayden Jobert 6. 2B Jack Merrifield 7. RF Paxton Kling 8. SS Jordan Thompson 9. C Alex Milazzo
A few notes/comments:
When I spoke to Coach Johnson last week, he said he was still considering where to slot Dylan Crews, suggesting that it would either be in the three-hole or the leadoff spot. The dilemma is that Johnson wants to maximize his at-bats but also wants to ensure Crews comes up with guys on base. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him in the leadoff role, but I’m protecting Morgan there for now.
I went back and forth between putting Merrifield or Ben Nippolt at second base. Johnson told me that Nippolt was leading the competition, but I suspect that if the battle is as tight as I think it is between Merrifield, Nippolt and Gavin Dugas, Johnson will go with someone who’s been there before in the purple and gold, at least for Game 1. But I am fairly sure we’ll see Nippolt this weekend.
I’ve got Josh Pearson at right field, and I think we’ll see that a lot when Jobert is pinch-hitting. One thing I feel confident about, based on Johnson’s comments to me, is that when LSU is clinging to a tight lead late in games and needs its best defensive outfield, it will be Josh Stevenson, Crews, and Kling."
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 15, 2023 10:52:11 GMT -5
From Dandy Don's website:
"I love almost everything about collegiate baseball. One thing I’m not crazy about, though, is how long some games last. That’s why I was happy to see that the SEC will implement some new rules this season to help speed up the game.
According to this press release, the changes include limiting the time between batters and the time allotted for a mound visit to thirty seconds. Also, pitching changes will be limited to two-and-a-half minutes.
The SEC will also implement a 10-run rule for conference games. If a team is ahead by at least 10 runs after seven innings, the game will be stopped. This will apply to all SEC games and could apply to non-conference games if both parties agree to the terms beforehand. You may have already noticed that softball has a similar rule that stops games if a team leads by eight runs after five innings. Personally, I think these rules are great and I applaud the SEC for trying to improve the fan experience."
Well the season is almost here - I am ready.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 16, 2023 9:49:48 GMT -5
From Dandy Don's website:
"The path to Omaha is a long, wonderful, winding road. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
With the journey beginning in just one day, let’s wrap up our Jersey Countdown with a brief look at the newcomer who wears No. 1 this year.
Countdown to Game Day:
Day 1: Gavin Guidry
Gavin Guidry is appropriate for Day 1 of our countdown for a couple of reasons. The obvious one is this is a “jersey countdown,” and he wears No. 1. But another is that he came to LSU as the No. 1 ranked player in the Louisiana and the reigning Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year.
A product of Barbe High School in Lake Charles, Guidry is a promising local talent being groomed as LSU’s future shortstop. But if you read my recent interview with coach Jay Johnson, you know that the position is currently firmly in Jordan Thompson’s grasp. Nevertheless, if Thompson were to falter, I doubt there would be any hesitation to put Guidry in.
Guidry is also one of four players competing for the second base position, along with Ben Nippolt, Jack Merrifield and Gavin Dugas. When I spoke to coach Johnson about that position battle, he spoke highly of Guidry but said he was learning that it’s a big jump from high school baseball to the top of the SEC. Still, I would expect Guidry to get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do, both at second base and at shortstop."
Western Michigan tomorrow night for the Tigers opening game. The season cannot start soon enough - I am primed and ready.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 17, 2023 10:26:04 GMT -5
Baseball begins today, but the game has been moved up to 3 pm due to cold weather. Cold weather effects a few early season games every year.
Geaux Tigers.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 17, 2023 19:26:18 GMT -5
LSU opens with a 10 - 0 over Western Michigan. Cold windy day.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 18, 2023 12:28:52 GMT -5
LSU starting pitcher Paul Skenes a transfer from Air Force is the kind of Friday night guy the Tigers have been looking for. Paul pitched 6 innings allowing only 3 hits while striking out 12 batters. His fastball hit 99 MPH and his last pitch of the game was clocked at 98. Relief pitching was very effective. Christian Little a transfer from Vandy pitched two hitless and scoreless innings with 3 SO's. Freshman Mike Bucknam pitched in the 9th inning with no hits and a strikeout. Tigers posted 16 strikeouts for the game.
Another huge plus for the Tigers - no errors. The team fielding last year was not too good.
No dingers but there was a strong wind and fly balls died if they were up in the air.
They play Western Michigan again today at 1:30.
Geaux Tigers.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 18, 2023 17:01:56 GMT -5
Tigers win 5 to 3 and Riley Cooper pitched six innings of no hit ball. Bryce Collins entered and was not effective. N. Ackenhausen relieved and finished the game. Tiger win 5 to 3.
Cal Ripken Jr. threw out the first pitch and interviewed with the announcers. Ben McDonald an LSU great pitcher was team mates with Cal for 8 years.
Tiger starting pitching is off to a great start. Twelve innings on shutout baseball with 19 strikeouts. And only 3 hits given up.
Way to geaux Tigers.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 20, 2023 9:29:27 GMT -5
Tiger end up with a sweep. Pitching was outstanding. This is what the Tiger faithful was hoping for - pitching we could count on. It has been a number of years since we have had a deep staff like we have this year.
Fielding has greatly improved - error free.
Hitting ended up Sunday coming alive. Friday was a terrible hitting day - cold and windy. Fly balls just died in the air because of the high winds. But Sunday the Tigers blasted three home runs. Crews blasted a 440 foot dinger over the center field fence. Gavin Dugas had a dinger on Saturday and Sunday. His bat is smoking.
Only downer was that Tommy White dislocated his right shoulder sliding back into first base. It was his first at bat of the game and he had a solid hit up the middle. But the good news he should be ready to at least be the DH next week.
All in all a great start for the Tigers.
Geaux Tigers.
Southern up on Tuesday. Next weekend is the Round Rock Classic in Texas. The Tigers will face Kansas State, Iowa and South Houston State. They remain in Texas to face the Longhorns on Tuesday.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 25, 2023 10:02:58 GMT -5
LSU picked up their 5th straight victory over Kansas State in the Round Rock Classic. Ace Paul Skenes recorded his second victory of the season racking up 11 strikeouts in 7 innings as the Tigers won 7 to 3. They play Iowa today.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 25, 2023 19:24:17 GMT -5
Iowa smoked LSU 12 to 4 today. Not much to say about the Tigers today. Dylan Crews had two hits and two RBI's for about the only bright spot.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Feb 27, 2023 9:02:06 GMT -5
In Saturday’s loss to Iowa, the Tigers looked nothing like the No. 1 team in the nation. Yesterday was a completely different story, as LSU baseball demolished a pretty good Sam Houston team, 16-4. The Tigers played as if they had something to prove and came out swinging. By the time the night was over, LSU had wracked up 23 hits, including three home runs, a triple and five doubles, as well as the title of Karbach Round Rock Classic Champions.
Brayden Jobert and Dylan Crews combined to account for nine hits and nine RBI. Jobert went 4-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI, while Crews went 5-for-6 with three doubles and four RBI. What made Crews’ performance all the more noteworthy is that it came on his 21st birthday and earned him the title of Karbach Classic MVP.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 1, 2023 9:04:28 GMT -5
The LSU baseball team was in Austin to play the Longhorns. And it was quite a game - pitcher's dual. It was a 0 to 0 game entering the 9th inning. Gavin Dugas came to bat with two men on and he launched a three run dinger. That is the way the game ended - 3 to 0 Tigers. Playoff atmosphere with a full house. The Tigers prevailed in a thriller.
Way to geaux Tigers.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 5, 2023 11:14:59 GMT -5
LSU had a monster day yesterday getting 26 runs on 29 hits to defeat Central Conn 26 to 4. The game was cut short by the 10 run rule.
LSU had defeated Butler 12 to 2 on Friday night. Paul Skenes picked up his 3rd win of the season striking out 13 batters. Man do the Tigers have a Friday night pitcher starter.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 6, 2023 10:25:13 GMT -5
LSU shutout Central Conn 13 to 0 on Sunday. They play Butler today for an unusual 4 game weekend.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 7, 2023 10:03:04 GMT -5
LSU took care of Butler last night 11 to 0. That was their straight 10 run rule game. And the bats remain hot - three more dingers.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 11, 2023 11:00:34 GMT -5
Paul Skenes picked up his 4th win of the season striking out 12 batters as LSU gained their 12th win of the season. They defeated Samford 11 to 1 in a 7 inning 10 run rule game.
Paul has 48 strikeouts in 24 innings. His fastball has hit 100 MPH. It will be interesting to see how he does when SEC play begins next weekend. There are a lot of good teams in the SEC this year. Bama just lost their first game last night.
It will be a great year for SEC teams.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 11, 2023 22:07:10 GMT -5
LSU gets 12 to 0 win over Samford again tonight. Ty Floyd pitched no hit baseball through 5 innings. Samford got an infield hit in the 7th to break up the no hitter. Bats were hot as 5 dingers left the park for LSU.
LSU got it's 5th 10 run rule in the last 7 games.
SEC play begins next weekend.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 12, 2023 13:21:19 GMT -5
LSU gets the sweep over Samford with a big bang in the 7th inning today 13 to 1. The Tigers scored 9 runs in the 7th to 10 run rule again today. Three more dingers today - two run blast by Dylan Crews, a three run shot by Paxton Kling and a grand salami by Tommy White.
Thatcher Hurd gets the win. Tigers are on a roll - I hope it carries into the SEC schedule that begins next weekend. LSU travels to Texas to play the Aggies.
Geaux Tigers.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 17, 2023 11:37:47 GMT -5
SEC kicked off last night with a couple of games with the rest of the teams playing tonight.
LSU travels to College Station for their opening game with the Aggies. It is going to be cold. It is 43 degrees at my house so it will probably be pretty chilly in College Station.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 18, 2023 10:38:45 GMT -5
LSU opened the SEC season by shutting out the Aggies 9 to 0. Paul Skenes started the game as his first pitch hit 100 MPH. He picked up his 5th victory of the season. LSU had ten hits. High wind kept the balls in the park as the wind was blowing in from center field. LSU's record now stands at 17-1 for the year.
Second game of the series starts at 2 pm.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 18, 2023 17:50:13 GMT -5
LSU defeats the Aggies today 12 to 7 win the series. Tigers go for the sweep tomorrow. Jared Jones has an outstanding day as he drove in 7 runs. Tommy White had three for himself. Tigers fall behind 4 to 0 but explode for six runs in the fourth inning and never looked back.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 20, 2023 10:19:24 GMT -5
Aggies have a run 8th inning rally to defeat the Tigers 8 to 6 Sunday to prevent the Tigers sweep. LSU relievers couldn't close the door and walks killed them - like the Aggie relief corps struggled with all weekend.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 22, 2023 10:17:55 GMT -5
LSU got their 19th win of the season last night 10 to 4 over Central Arkansas. Arkansas comes in to Alex Box Stadium this weekend for a very good SEC series. A matchup of top 5 teams. Should be a pretty good weekend series.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Mar 25, 2023 16:10:07 GMT -5
LSU bounced back in the first game today by 10 run ruling the Hogs 12 to 7. Ty Floyd after a shaky first inning allowing two run - kept the Hogs in check as the Tigers kept the runs crossing the plate until they had scored 12 runs for themselves.
A nightcap win for either team wraps up the series.
Wind was blowing out of Alex Box today and the balls were flying. And the Tiger bats were hot - 16 hits in seven innings with 3 doubles, 1 triple and 3 dingers. Hope the hot bats carry into the nightcap.
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