Tigers Score 11 in the Fifth To Notch Third Victory

The Tigers, who play in the Menomonee Falls Little League Majors division, hope to carry the momentum they found late in their game Tuesday into their next matchup Saturday.

Menomonee Falls Patch is the official sponsor of the Tigers, and throughout the year updates from the team will appear on Patch.com.

The Tigers notched a 20-10, run-rule victory over the Yankees Tuesday at the Mill Road Little League Complex. An 11-run  fifth inning sealed the victory for the Tigers, who improved to 3-1 on the year.

With countless base thieves and wild gunslingers, the game took on the semblance of the lawless territories of the historic Wild West. Both teams notched nearly 20 stolen bags, and threw roughly the same number of wild pitches.

To be honest, this Patch reporter soon lost track of the total number, and decided estimates would suffice.

However, both steals and wild pitches were crucial factors in a game that teeter-tottered until the late innings. The Yankees jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Tigers answered immediately scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the first. A two-out basses loaded single by Jake Casper scored three runs.

The Yankees and Tigers continued to battle back and forth for the lead in a game that was tied on four different occasions, and the lead exchanged hands three times.

However, in the bottom of the fifth inning (Little League plays 6 innings), the Tigers blew the lid off the game and scored 11 runs. They entered the inning trailing the Yankees 10-9. The Tigers bats got read hot in the inning and knocked five hits.

Perhaps the highlight of the day came from Andrew DeLuka who made the round-trip back to home base after blasting a liner down the first base line. DeLuka drove in two runs, and made it to third base on his feet. However, a wild throw allowed DeLuka to make it all the way home scoring an in-the-park home run. His hit put the Tigers up 16-10.

Later in the inning, Tim Phillips ended the game with a single that scored two runs to put the score at 20-10. Once the lead was extended to 10, the umpire called the game citing the run-rule.

“Our kids stayed focused and they kept the bats swinging and they were consistent at the plate,” said Head Coach Mark Knuese.

The Tigers will brush the sleep from their eyes when they take on the Dodgers at 8 a.m. on Saturday.