By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
One of the biggest keys a baseball team has to make is how it will adjust to an opponent the second time around.
Last week was a week where the T.R. Miller Tigers played three straight opponents they had already beaten. T.R. Miller kept the result the same the second time around in each of its three encouters.
The Tigers completed the hat trick Friday when it blew away the visiting Flomaton Hurricanes 15-5 in six innings.
"We did a pretty good job of playing an opponent the second time around in all three games until we got the big lead on Flomaton. We should have finished them off sooner than we did, but we got a little sloppy," T.R. Miller coach Jim Hart said. "Still, you can't be disappointed too much when you win and win by the 10-run rule."
Flomaton committed eight errors in the game, four of which came in the first inning when the Tigers (18-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
The Huricanes got two of those markers back in the second inning against T.R. Miller starting hurler Trent Davidson, but the Tigers buried Flomaton with a 10-run uprising in the bottom half of the inning when it sent 16 batters to the plate.
The biggest hit of the inning was a three-run double by Brad Lannom. Davidson, who had an RBI single in the opening inning, came with with an RBI double. Kurt Prater had a two-run single and both Ryan Holland and Jacob Salter contributed RBI singles.
Up 13-2 at that point, the Tigers looked like they would easily finish the game in five innings on the 10-run rule.
Flomaton foiled that with a three-run rally off reliever Patrick Sorrells in the fourth inning to pull within 13-5.
The Tigers were finally able to close out their win with an RBI fielder's choice by Tyler Chapman in the fourth inning and an RBI single by Tyler Shehan in the sixth inning.
Brad Lannom hurled a seven-hitter, as the Tigers beat the visiting Jackson Aggies 7-0 Thursday. It was T.R. Miller's second win of the season over Jackson.
Lannom struck out five and walked, but he was an equal contributor at the plate where he had three hits and drove in four runs.
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Lannom had a two-run triple in a three-run first inning and a two-run double in the fourth inning.
Jacob Salter also had three hits, while Jordan Ball added a pair with an RBI. Joseph Turner also contributed two hits. One of Ball's hits was a solo homer in the fifth.
T.R. Miller also posted its second win of the season over Escambia County Tuesday with an 8-3 triumph on the Blue Devils' home turf.
A two-run single by Patrick Sorrells in the top of the sixth inning snapped a 3-3 deadlock and put T.R. Miller ahead for good. Jordan Cauley also had a key RBI single in that frame.
Kurt Prater had a three-hit game to lead the Tigers' offense. Sorrells, Cauley and Turner all had two hits.
Sorrells worked the final five innings of relief for the win. He allowed two runs and four hits to go along with four strikeouts. Jason Vuong started and went the first two frames.
The Tigers travel to Jay (Fla.) Tuesday. Junior varsity acion is set for 4:30 p.m. followed by the varsity contest at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday's game
T.R. Miller 100 023 2 – 8 12 1
Escambia Co. 101 010 0 – 3 6 3
Thursday's game
Jackson 000 000 0 – 0 7 1
T.R. Miller 300 211 X – 7 13 1
Friday's game
Flomaton 020 300 – 5 5 8
T.R. Miller 3(10)0 101 – 15 11 4