By Lonnie Turner
The ACE Hardware Tigers won the post regular season Minor League Kiwanis Tournament by defeating the KJ’s Blue Jays twice Tuesday evening, After taking the first game, 11-6, the Tigers won the championship with a 7-2 victory.
Things looked a little bleak for the Tigers after the first inning of the first game. KJ’s jumped on starting pitcher Jackson Outlar for 6 runs pounding out four hits including two triples, a double and a single, but after settling down, Outlar didn’t allow another hit until two were out in the fourth inning.
While he was doing his job on the mound, the Tigers started to eat away at the lead with two runs in the bottom of the first, three more in the second and in the third, the Tigers duplicated the Blue Jays first inning feat with six runs for an 11-6 comeback lead, which was the final score of the game, forcing a second chance for the Tigers.
The Tigers scored three times in the third inning of the second game and never gave up the lead to win the championship, 7-2.
There were only three total hits in the championship game, two by the Blue Jays and only one by the Tigers. Ca’Naurey Reid had a two run single to lead a third inning three run rally for the champions and after Jacob McNeill started the Blue Jays fifth with a single, Jaiden Huth clouted an inside the park home run, but it wasn’t enough.
In the first game, ACE was led by Jackson had two hits and three runs batted in, Landon King had two hits and Ca’Naurey Reid doubled to drive in two more runs. The only othr hit by the Tigers was a two-run single in the six-run third inning. Avery Sherman led the Blue Jays with a double and a triple in three trips to the plate and Ian Capps and Jaden Williamson had back to back triples in the six-run first inning. Ta’Norie Monroe also had a triple for the Jays and Austin Miles singled!
Now the youngsters will concentrate on the All Star Tournaments which will begin within the next two weeks! Great job by all the players and the coaches and parents for another great baseball season.

PHOTOS BY JOHNNIE DANIELS/THE DILLON HERALD
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