TORRINGTON – After dropping a double-header Thursday against Gering, Neb., the Torrington Tigers 15-and-under baseball team rebounded Friday to beat Kimball, Neb. twice in a home double-header.
On Thursday, Torrington fell behind 9-0 after the first inning and could not mount a comeback.
“We had a rough start and it’s hard to get back into it with such a big deficit,” coach Andy Brown said.
There was a short rain delay in the second inning, but it did not cool off Gering at the plate. Gering added four runs in the second and cruised to a 14-0 win.
The second game between Torrington and Gering proved to be similar to the first. The Tigers fell behind 7-0 after the first inning and could never recover. Gering got the win in the second game 17-2.
“The beautiful thing about baseball is there is always another game,” Brown said of recovering after Thursday’s losses. “Just take it one day at a time. That’s baseball.”
In the first game against Kimball, the Tigers allowed a run in the top of the first, but Nick Sherbeyn crossed the plate on a wild pitch to knot the game up at one heading into the second. Kimball extended their lead to 3-1, but four runs in the second inning gave Torrington a 5-3 lead going into the third, where the Tigers scored two, holding on for the 7-4 win after five innings.
“The whole vibe was different,” Brown said. “It was a night and day difference between the two days.”
The Tigers kept the momentum going in the second game, scoring early and often. Gabe Mitchell plated Sam Firminhac in the first inning and by the end of the second inning, Torrington led 3-0. Both teams battled through the constant rain and the Tigers snagged the 9-0 win.
“We were actually in the game and we could move the runners,” Brown said of the difference between Thursday and Friday. “Our game plan is to hit and run and move guys around and put pressure on the defense. We were able to do that Friday.”
Full stats were unavailable to the Telegram at press time.
After a rainy four games over two days, the Tigers sit at 4-4 on the season.
“I don’t think it bothered us that much,” Brown said of the rain. “We didn’t talk much about the weather – we just talked about the game.”
The Tigers return to the diamond this afternoon against Gillette in a home double-header. The first game is slated for 3 p.m., with the second game to follow at 5 p.m. On Friday, the Tigers hit the road for a double-header at 5 and 7 p.m. against Bridgeport, Neb.
“It’s just about throwing strikes now. That’s a huge thing at this level,” Brown said. “We are very confident in ourselves and we have a positive mentality.”
