By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP – Managing Editor
Two games into the season, the T.R. Miller Tigers' baseball team has tasted both victory and defeat.
In the season opener, which came a few days late due to rain, the Tigers found it hard to get the bats going against the Jay Royals. On Friday, the team got on track with a 5-3 win over the Escambia County Blue Devils.
Jay 1, T.R. Miller 0
The Tigers gave up an error and two consecutive base hits which provided Jay the only run scored in the season opener.
The Tigers held the Royals through the rest of the contest, but was not able to get any runners across home plate.
T.R. Miller had an opportunity in the second when Joseph Turner reached on a single followed by a fielding error by the Royals that allowed Jordan Bell to reach. But consecutive ground balls ended the Miller threat.
The Tigers managed only three hits in the contest while the batters combined for five strike outs.
T.R. Miller 5, Escambia County 3
The Tigers got their bats going on Friday with 10 hits and their first five runs on the season.
The Tigers struck early when Russell Bagwell reached on a single. Consecutive walks to Trent Davidson, Randy Holland and Jacob Salter allowed Bagwell to score.
The Tigers added to the lead in the second with three more runs. With two outs, Turner lined a single followed by a walk to Brad Lannom. Bagwell nailed a single to drive Turner home and Davidson reached after being hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, Randy Holland hit a single that drove in both Lannom and Bagwell.
Escambia County came back in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own after a single and consecutive doubles.
The Blue Devils tightened the score to 4-3 in the fourth as Franklin Boykin scored on a series of base hits.
The score remained the same until the top of the sixth when the Tigers scored one run on three singles. With one out, Turner reached on a single. Then, with two outs, Bagwell and Davidson came through in the clutch with consecutive singles that allowed Turner to score the final run of the game.
Turner and Bagwell led the Tiger offense as each went 3-for-4 and scored two runs.