Tigers win two, lose two
By Charlie Anderson Contributing Writer

The Thomasville Tiger Varsity Baseball team ended this past week with mixed reviews picking up two big wins during the week and before dropping two games in Demopolis on Saturday. As has been the case in the past for the young Tigers, the difference in the outcome of the games hinged on making the routine plays on defense.

PHOTO BY JOHNNY AUTERY Reeves Bozeman tries to outrun the throw to first base as Tate Luker stretches to make the catch last week in Sweet Water.

It all started on Tuesday, March 11, when the Tigers played host to the Clarke County High School Bulldogs. With the offense pounding out 12 hits and the defense making the routine plays the Tigers defeated their arch rivals 9 - 4. Paul Noble, who started the game, was credited with the win allowing four runs on six hits, three walks, and two hit batsmen while striking out 10 in 6 2/3 innings. Mallan Sheffield pitched the final 1/3 inning striking out one. With the win Noble improved his season mark to 3 - 1. At the plate the Tigers were led by the quartet of Reeves Bozeman, Paul Noble, Tevin Pope, and Kenny Sanders with two hits each. Joining them in the barrage with one hit were Alex Buford, Dylan Digman, Jon Harrison and Jamie Morgan. In the extra-base hit category Noble had a double and his second homerun of the season while Bozeman had two doubles to set the pace with Pope and Sanders legging out triples and Harrison slugging a double. Bozeman was the RBI leader with three followed by Noble with two and the trio of Buford, Morgan and Sanders driving in one run each.

PHOTO BY JOHNNY AUTERY The throw to home plate gets away from catcher Jon Harrison during action last week in Sweet Water.

The Tigers continued their good play on Thursday, March 13, when they ventured over to Sweet Water and defeated the homestanding Bulldogs 21 - 5. The game was tied at 5 - 5 in the third inning but the Tigers picked up five runs in the fourth and 11 in the fifth to put the game away. Rob Anderson, pitching in relief of Alex Buford, the Tigers' starter, was credited with the win. Coming in with two outs in the second inning Anderson held the Bulldogs scoreless and allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two in 3 1/3 innings. Buford who preceded Anderson on the hill allowed five runs on three hits, three walks and one hit batsman while striking out one in 1 2/3 innings. On offense the Tigers matched Tuesday's total recording 12 hits. Rob Anderson, Reeves Bozeman, and Tevin Pope set the tone with two hits each while teammates Alex Buford, Dylan Digman, Jon Harrison, Jamie Morgan, Paul Noble, and Kenny Sanders all had one hit to add to the cause. In the extra-base hit category Bozeman and Sanders both hit their second homerun of the season while Anderson, Morgan and Pope all had doubles. Anderson led the team in RBIs with four followed closely by Bozeman and Sanders with three apiece. Joining them with one RBI were Corey Browder, Buford, Taylor Sturdivant and Charles Taylor.

Unfortunately for the Tigers the week did not end nearly as well as it started. On Saturday, March 15, the Tigers, playing in a three team round robin match-up with Andalusia and Demopolis being played in Demopolis, lost both games of their split doubleheader. In both cases it was the inability of the Tiger pitching staff to quell the bats of their opponents and defensive miscues that ultimately sealed their fate.

In their first game with the Andalusia High School Bulldogs, things looked promising early as the Tigers raced out to a 3 - 0 lead in the second inning. The tables were turned in the next two innings however as the Bulldogs connected on three fly balls that got into a 20 to 25 mile per hour jet stream blowing straight out resulting in three homeruns and five runs to take a 5 - 3 lead after three. They continued to plate runs in the fourth scoring 11 runs of which all but three were unearned to post a 16 - 4 win. Daniel Rogers, who started the game on the mound for the Tigers, was tagged with the loss allowing 11 runs on 11 hits and three hit batsmen while striking out three in 3 1/3 innings. Following Rogers, Taylor Sturdivant worked 1/3 inning allowing five runs on four hits and striking out one. Jay Williams also logged 1/3 inning giving up one hit and striking out one. On offense the Tigers picked up five hits with Reeves Bozeman, Jon Harrison, Jamie Morgan, Paul Noble and Kenny Sanders each recording one. In the extra-base hit area Harrison, Noble and Sanders each had a double.

As tough as the loss to Andalusia was to swallow the 18 - 17 loss to Demopolis in the second game of the day probably left more of a bitter taste in Thomasville Tigers' mouths. With the lead bouncing back and forth the first three innings of the game, Thomasville found themselves trailing 8 - 5 entering the fourth inning. At that point the bats went to work and the boys from North Clarke County scored 10 in the top of the fourth to go out front 15 - 8. The two teams matched runs in the fifth and Thomasville score one in the top of the sixth to take a 17 - 9 lead with Demopolis coming to bat. It was at that point the wheels came off and two innings and six errors later the Thomasville Tigers left the field knowing they had just let one get away from them. What was so ironic was Thomasville out hit their host 18 to 12.

On the mound Rob Anderson, the third of four pitchers used by Thomasville in the game, was charged with the loss. In one inning of work he allowed six runs on six hits, two walks, and one hit batsman while striking out one. He was preceded on the mound by Paul Noble, the starter, who gave up eight runs on three hits, two walks, and three hit batsmen while striking out two in 2 2/3 innings and Mallan Sheffield, who allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two in 2 1/3 innings. Jamie Morgan who relieved Anderson faced three hitters walking two and giving up the game ending hit.

On offense Thomasville's 16 hit barrage was led by Paul Noble who had five hits, Alex Buford with four hits, and Kenny Sanders with three hits. Others who contributed to the total included; Reeves Bozeman with two hits, and Shaq Jackson and Tevin Pope with one hit each. In the extrabase hit category Noble hit his third homerun of the season, Buford had a triple and Bozeman had a double. Bozeman was the RBI leader with four followed by Buford and Noble with two each. Joining them with one RBI apiece were; Jackson, Sanders, Mallan Sheffield, and Charles Taylor.

This week things move into another phase as the Tigers get into area play with the Monroe County Tigers traveling to Thomasville for a single game on Thursday, March 18, and Thomasville returning the favor on Friday, March 19, when they make their way to Monroeville for a doubleheader. Thursday's action follows a JV game between the two teams while Friday's twin bill is set to get underway at 4:00 PM.

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