By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
Evidently all the T.R. Miller Tigers needed was a little home cooking to get them healthy.
The Tigers posted season highs for hits and runs scored at the expense of the visiting Jay, Fla., Royals in a 16-4 victory Monday that lasted just four and a half innings.
The win in T.R. Miller's home debut came after the Tigers began the season 1-3 away from home.
The Tigers lashed out 16 hits, five of which went for doubles. The hits total included three by Seth Holland and Mackie Jackson and two each by Baxley Raines, Allen Williams and Brice Martin.
The win was not all roses. The Tigers overcame some thorns in the top of the first inning when they committed three errors and allowed Jay to score a pair of unearned runs against T.R. Miller pitcher Raines.
The Tigers' offense quickly made up for its defensive miscues in the bottom of the first inning when they ripped four doubles and scored four runs to take the lead for good.
Seth Holland began the two-bag hit parade against Jay pitcher Brad Lowery. Raines's double shaved Jay's lead in half and Denton's double tied the game at 2-2. Allen Williams gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead with another RBI double. Jackson broke the double trend, but came through with an RBI single that made it 4-2.
Raines led off the bottom of the third with his second double. That hit led to an RBI single by Williams, a single by Jackson and another RBI single by Brice Martin that made it 6-2.
T.R. Miller put itself in position to win the game on the 10-run rule when it sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth.
A walk to Tanner Shehan and a single by Seth Holland ended Lowery's day on the mound. Two Jay relievers fared little better.
An error on a ball hit by Denton opened the floodgates for a two-run single by Christopher Griffin, another two-run single by Martin, a bases-loaded walk to Shehan, an RBI infield single by Holland, a bases-loaded walk to Raines, an RBI fielder's choice by Denton and an infield RBI single by Griffin.
The offensive outburst made it easy for Raines complete the game although he was touched for a pair of runs, one of which was unearned, in the top of the fifth. The senior righthander tossed a five-hitter and struck out five.
The Tigers travel to Escambia County Thursday for a 6 p.m. contest. Junior varsity action begins at 4 p.m. T.R. Miller opens the Class 4A Area 2 portion of its schedule Friday when it visits W.S. Neal for a 4 p.m. doubleheader.
At T.R. Miller
Jay 200 02 – 4 5 2
T.R. Miller 402 (10)X - 16 16 4
Northview edges TRM
T.R. Miller's early season slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 road loss to the Northview, Fla., Chiefs.
Tigers' pitcher Mackie Jackson allowed just two hits and retired the final 13 batters he faced. That was not enough to offset a combined four-hit effort by Northview starter Jesse Hayes and reliever Bret Hanks. Hayes allowed just one run on two hits through the first four innings, while Hanks scattered a pair of hits in three scoreless frames of relief.
Half of T.R. Miller's four hits came from the first three batters of the game. Tanner Shehan reached on an infield error to lead off the game, while Seth Holland followed with a single. Baxley Raines came through with an RBI double that drove home Shehan with what proved to be the Tigers' lone run.
Both hits and runs Jackson allowed came in the bottom of the second inning. Northview's Trent Freeman tied the game with a one-out, solo homerun over the leftfield wall. A walk to Scott Hamilton, a single by Matt Walker and a walk to Ryan Chasen loaded the bases. Number nine hitter Austin Reid laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt in front of the plate that plated Hamilton with the go-ahead and what proved to be winning run.
Despite their lack of hit production, the Tigers had some chances to come back.
T.R. Miller stranded a pair of runners in the top of the third. Jackson reached on a fielder's choice and courtesy runner Travis Holland went to second on a wild pitch and stole third. Shehan drew a base on balls, before Hayes got Seth Holland to fly out to centerfield.
Holland hit a two-out double in the fifth, but Hanks got Raines to fly out to centerfield.
The Tigers stranded another runner in scoring position in the sixth when Christopher Griffin singled and went to second on Hanks' errant pickoff attempt, but the Northview lefty got Allen Williams to strike out and Stephen Matthews to ground out.
At Northview
T.R. Miller 100 000 0 - 1 4 0
Northview 020 000 X - 2 2 2