Tyler was the starting pitcher for the first game of the double-elimination tournament. He struck out the first six consecutive batters. It was amazing how quickly he breezed through those innings. With bases loaded in the bottom of the second, he got his first RBI of the game but was very disappointed that he didn’t get on base. Perhaps this explains why he walked the lead off batter in the third inning. The next batter popped up right behind the mound and Tyler made the play. He then struck out his seventh batter for the game. With two out he worked deep into the count with several foul balls before eventually walking his second batter of the inning. Then with two outs and two on, a big girl smacked a grounder right back to the mound and Tyler snagged it! It was one of those bang bang kind of plays. He could have walked over to first and made the play all by himself. His heart was probably racing with adrenaline as he quickly turned to throw the ball to first. The ball sailed high over the first baseman’s (Bailey’s) glove. Both of the walked runners scored easily as Bailey retrieved the ball from the fence. Nevertheless, Tyler composed himself and ended the inning by striking out the very next batter. He worked three complete innings with no hits, two walks, one error, and eight strike outs. [See the photos of Tyler bringing the heat.]
He spent the rest of the game in the field behind the plate catching for Nick who completed the game as the pitcher.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Tyler was the lead off batter. He drilled the first pitch into deep left center field and it bounced to the fence. The Reds relayed the ball into the cut-off as Tyler was rounding third. He made a move for home and the second baseman threw the ball wide of the plate and into the backstop. So Tyler sprinted home for his first score of the game and fourth home run of the season. [See the photos of Coach Green congratulating Tyler after scoring and Tyler’s big smile once he got into the dug out with his teammates.]
And now it's back to me (Andrea) again, and I am compelled to tell those of you who are wondering about Tyler's teeth . . . it's Gatorade Fruit Punch.
The Royals ended up winning by a final score of ???? (I think it was something like 10-4) and Tyler received the game ball! And just look at what we saw crossing the road on our way home--a Kodak moment if ever there was one!
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2 comments:
The only sports story more exciting than this one would be Seabiscuit, but this one is the BEST because TYLER is the hero! I'm with you Andrea, a recap from me would have had many more exclamations. It's hard for me to believe that Tyler is 11 years old. And he even LOOKS like a ball player on the mound. Great shots. GO TYLER!
Excellent recap and play-by-play action, Sportswriter Randy! And some people say there's no action in baseball - ha! They just need to see Pitcher Tyler in action! (I'm just writing a comment and look at all the explanation points I'm using. It just looked too lame to use only periods, though.)
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