Federal upset Tigers

What a game for the ages. A fantastic game of Division 1 baseball in the Preliminary Final between second placed Tigers and third placed Federal.

With two gun pitchers, Karl Ransom (Tigers) and Alex Reppin (Federal), going hard at it, it was always going to be a tight affair.

Neither team could push runners across the plate in the first two digs and it was Tigers that broke the drought in the bottom of the third.

Jake England picked a base on ball and eventually scoring on a passed ball.

Federal replied in the fourth when Matt Nicholls also picked a walk and was batted in by Craig Nicholls. Game tied.

Alex Pearson hit safely to second base in the top of the fifth and scored when Alex Reppin’s high fly ball to first base was put down.

Tigers fired back in the bottom of the dig when Jake England picked his second walk and crossed home plate on Karl Ransom’s long drive to centrefield to again tie up the game.

Both pitchers were at the top of their game and fielding was as tight as tight can be with no further runs scored until extra inning.

Both pitchers were replaced on the hill in the ninth when they had pitched their allowed number for the game.

Both relievers, Joe Sims Tigers and Clay Carpenter Federal, both continued the theme of the game not giving up any runs in the ninth and the 10th inning.

However, the tide turned in the top of the eleventh when the Demons got some bat on the ball.

Jordan Johnson hit deeply to leftfield standing up at second, Nash Lobley clipped a nice ball out to rightfield to bat Johnson in, Roy Hutchesson was on base on a fielder’s choice and Alex Pearson picked a gap in the outfield that scored Lobley.

The hits kept coming with Riley Rolph on board after hitting safely to rightfield followed by Alex Reppin who hit to centrefield and pushed both Hutchesson and Pearson across the plate giving Federal a lead of four runs.

Matt Thompson mounted the charge for Tigers to pick back the lead when he hit safely to centrefield, Kane Harrison was thrown a walk, Clay Carpenter struck out the next batters, Jake England singled which loaded the bases.

Joe Sims picked a walk which forced Thompson across the dish but Carpenter shut down the charge striking out the next batter leaving Federal worthy winners six runs to three in what was an enthralling game of baseball and if it’s an indication of what this weekend’s best of three grand final series, then it is going to be a beauty.

Federal had 14 safe hits for 5 runs batted in, 2 base on ball, 1 hit batter, 5 strikeouts and made 0 errors. Tigers had 7 safe hits for 2 runs batted in, 8 base on ball, 12 strikeouts and made 2 errors.