2015 45+ American

“Tigers Score Early and Hang Tough’

By Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications

The Great Lakes Tigers scored four of their five runs in the first three innings and held on by their fingernails on their way to a 5-4 victory over the Ventura Dodgers to capture the 45-over American division of the 2015 MSBL Las Vegas Open held over Memorial Day weekend. An error, two passed balls and a walk in the bottom of the first by the Dodgers enabled the Tigers to plate two runs. The Dodgers had gone 1-2-3 in the top of the first to start the game. Another error by the Dodgers, mixed in with a couple of singles by the Tigers in the third inning, made it 4-0 going into the fourth.

The Dodgers got on to the board in the top of the fourth by turning a walk, an error and a single into a run to cut the deficit to 4-1. It stayed 4-1 until the top of the seventh when the Dodgers came alive after two outs by combining a Tiger error with a couple of hits and scoring two runs to knot the score at four apiece. The Dodgers made a little noise with a one-out double in the top of the eighth but he was stranded by a strikeout and a fly to right.

The Tigers scored the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth. An error at short started the unconventional rally, as it was followed by a walk, a fielder’s choice and a go-ahead RBI single to make it 5-4. A single by the Dodgers in the top of the ninth was sandwiched between a couple of strikeouts and they just couldn’t get the hit at the end to bring him around.

The Tigers were 2-1 in pool play, including a 9-3 victory over these same Dodgers. The Dodgers went 1-2 on Saturday and Sunday but rallied for a 5-4 victory over the San Diego Mariners in the semi-finals for the right to play the Tigers in the title game on Monday.