Tigers & South play out a tense 2023 opener

Heat policy affects most games in return to baseball

As the calendar has now hit 2023, the players took the field in the business end of the season for the Mount Gambier and District Baseball League.

Tigers found themselves taking on South to kick start it Friday under lights on a warm night.

South was out to get the dream start and were fast out of the blocks with a two run opening dig thanks to some young guys finding the middle of the bat.

This would set the tone for the night in what would be a cracking game of baseball, as both teams wrestled back and forth the lead and after the halfway point the score stood three runs apiece.

A game that saw the league chief umpire Michael Summers step up to adjudicate due to a fierce rivalry and potentially some fireworks, ended up only two passionate sides going head to head for bragging rights.

Tigers, for the first time in five years saw a combined 1350 games of experience on the field, with Kane Harrison 401*, Ben Marcus 399*, Karl Ransom 349* and Joey Sims 267* all in the starting nine – the band was back together.

After the seventh innings the game was flying and the game was still tied at four runs each before a four run eighth inning saw Tigers take the lead out to a commanding four runs.

But another twist was brewing, and when Tigers starting pitcher Karl Ransom’s (pictured) pitch count expired, he had to lean on the underworked Joe Sims returning from injury, and South had a sniff.

With load bases and two out Tigers escaped despite giving up three runs and won by the narrowest of margins to start the year in the win column.

Tigers Karl Ransom picked up three hits, along with Kane Harrison and Matt Thompson two apiece to go to the tally for the year. For South it was Tarkyn Morale with two hits and a number of great plays at shortstop that was the stand out for the Indians.

In the other Division One game it was ladder leaders Central taking on bottom placed Federals in heat shortened game.

It would be Central with Dylan Chuck in the mound defeating Federals 20-0 in a huge blow out victory.

RESULTS Division 1 Tigers 8 (K.Ransom 3; K.Harrison, M.Thompson, P.Kermond, J.England 2, B.Marcus, R.Rolph, J.Sims) d South 7 (T.Morale, J.Balshaw, R.Walter 2; D.Joyce, R.Placcucci, B.Nash); Central 20 d Federals 0 (no details provided for either team)

Under 18 Federals 10 d Tigers 7

All other matches not played due to heat policy