Tiger Bats and Solid Pitching Lead to Championship
The Memphis Tigers won the Best of the South USSSA NIT tournament Sunday at Snowden Grove Park by pounding 9 hits in the semi-final versus the Germantown Sox and 15 hits in the championship game against the Giants. The Tigers also relied on solid defense and the strong pitching of Scott Craddick and Alec Lamrouex to shut both teams down.
Against the Sox, Craddick went the distance in the run rule shortened 5 inning affair allowing only one unearned run and just 3 hits. The Tigers hitting attack was led by Nathan Stanford's 2 hit 3 rbi performance at the plate and two other Tigers (Andy Bowman and Salem Smith) with 2 hits each.
In the championship, the Tigers gave up their only earned run of the tournament in the first inning only to bounce back and grab a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the frame and never look back. Alec Lamrouex picked up the win with a 1-hit mastery of the Giant bats and only allowed one base runner after the first inning to complete the run rule shortened game. The Tigers were lead at the plate by Tyler Lawrence's 3 hits and 3 rbi's and 3 runs scored and Andy Bowman's 3 hits, 3 rbi's. Four other Tigers (Nathan Stanford, Salem Smith, Alec Lamrouex, and Brandon Dawson) added 2 hits each as the Tigers brought home their first tournament championship of the young season.
The Tigers next head back to First Tennessee Fields for the Gameday Jackpot II tournament that begins Friday.
