June 9
Tigers top Urban Impact, 17-7 - The Tigers put on a show of offense tonight like
none other this year. All but two of the Tigers went 4-for-4 on the night (and those
two went 2-for-4). Out of 48 at-bats, there were 44 hits and only one strike out.
Amazingly, UIF recorded 10 put-outs of Tigers at third base tonight. Were it not for
that strong defense, the score might have been loftier yet. By the fourth inning, UIF
had just hung five runs on the Tigers and had all but eliminated the Tigers lead. The
score remained 6-5 going into the fifth. The Tigers scored three in the fifth and a
season-high eight in the sixth. The RBIs were spread around, too, with nine of the
12 Tigers driving at least one run across the plate.

June 7
A’s and Tigers Play Classic - In a rematch of an Opening Day game won 13-5 by
the Athletics, the Tigers earned a split of the regular season series between these
two teams with a 14-13 victory. It was an impressive offensive show, with some
equally noteworthy defense, featuring five different lead changes and three ties along
the way. The Tigers came to bat in the bottom of the fifth with the score tied at 9-9.
After scoring five in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers held on in the top of the sixth
to finish off the one-run victory. JJ Younger (3 runs, 1 RBI), Justin Bees (2 runs,
2 RBIs), Ethan Khoza (2 runs, 4 RBIs), Miles Madia-Baron (1 run, 1 RBIs), Denny
O’Dell and Duane Combs (1 run, 1 RBI) were perfect at the plate. Ethan Khoza
turned an unassisted double play in the top of the fifth. Younger secured the first
out of the sixth leaping high into the air and cleanly capturing a rifle-shot line drive
off the bat of Marques Duncan. Without that catch, the outcome of the game likely
would have been different. 

June 6
Tigers Defeat Troy Hill II, 16-12 - Ethan Khoza turned in a career performance
at the plate tonight. With two singles, a double and a grand slam, Khoza scored
two runs and drove in eight. Brandon Fragapane (four runs), TJ Kopelic (four runs,
one RBI), Justin Bees (two runs, two RBIs) and Duane Combs (one double, one
RBI) were perfect at the plate. Brandon Ashcom’s first three trips to the plate
came with the bases loaded. Each of those times he delivered an RBI single.
Leo Baumbach was 2-for-3.The fifth inning was the most exciting for the Tigers
this evening. Jared Bees, playing up from the teeball Volcanos, got his first Farm
League start and led off the inning with a single. Three basehits later, Jared scored
the first run of his career on his brother Justin’s single. Then, Khoza cranked his
shot to deep left centerfield and touched all the bases before the ball ever got back
to the infield. Five batters, five hits, five runs – a picture of efficiency.The Tigers
were without four of their regulars, but still had their best offensive output of the
year, holding off a sixth inning rally by Troy Hill II.

May 30
Tigers Stage Comeback to Top Mets, 11-10 - In a role reversal from previous
night, the Tigers, down to their very last pitch, scored two runs in the bottom of
the sixth to get up off the mat and come back to beat the Mets, 11-10. It was a
seesaw affair all night long (five lead changes), completely different than the
defensive struggle the last time these two teams met, with both the Mets and the
Tigers putting up their largest offensive outputs of the season to date. The Tigers,
up 4-0 after two innings, saw the Mets put five runs on the board in the top of the
third. The Black and Orange answered with two runs in the bottom of the third to
retake the lead at 6-5. Neither team scored in the fourth, leaving the Tigers clinging
to a one-run lead going into the fifth. Victoria Oberst led off and finished the fifth
inning with singles, the last of which drove in the Mets' fifth run with only one out
to regain the lead at 10-6. The Tigers scored three in the bottom of the fifth to pull
within one, but the Mets could muster only one hit in the top of the sixth and did
not put any insurance on the board. The Big Cats tied the game in the bottom of
the sixth on a bases-loaded ground out to first by Denny O’Dell, and Malcolm
Bowman came to the plate with two outs. Bowman fouled off two of the first three
pitches, to leave him in a 1-and-2 hole with four pitches left. Finding a pitch he
liked, Bowman fouled off the sixth pitch to leave the Tigers one pitch from
consecutive losses and the Mets one pitch from a victory. Heightening the
suspense, Bowman lofted a fly ball down the first base line and Leo Baumach
(whose grandfather Joe Saffron was coaching first base tonight) broke for the plate.
The Tigers and their fans erupted in cheers as Baumbach crossed the plate, only
to be disappointed when Bowman’s fly ball landed in foul territory. Bowman returned
to the plate for an eighth pitch, and this time lifted a fly ball to short centerfield.
The blast landed just out of reach of the Mets' centerfielder, and the winning run
crossed the plate. Overall a great game and a shame that one of the teams had
to come out on the short end. For the Tigers, JJ Younger was 3-for-3, raising his
season batting average to .950, with a single, double and triple, three runs scored,
and three RBIs. Justin Bees was 3-for-3 with a single, double, triple and three runs
scored. Ethan Khoza was 3-for-3 with a double and one run scored. Brandon
Fragapane was 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Caleb Little-Poole was also 3-for-3,
driving in two runs. In all, the Tigers collected a second-high eight extra base hits.