We may be looking at the best offense Tallulah Falls baseball has ever had. The Indians once again scored double digits in a 10-5 home win Friday evening against East Jackson. The win is the second straight for TFS and avenges a previous loss to the Eagles.
Aubrey Higgins pitched a solid 5 innings to pick up the win, recording 10 strikeouts for the 6th time in his career. All 9 batters in the starting lineup recorded a hit, with the Indians combining for 14 hits in total. TFS used a monster second and fourth frame to do most of the damage.
The Indians got out to an early lead in the first after Higgins struck out the side in the top half. Drew Bates brought in Joel Miller with an RBI groundout, after Miller had led off with his first triple of the season. Danny Grant and Bates had RBI singles in the fourth to push the lead up to 3-0, and Norman Bastian, Jr.’s bases loaded walk put TFS up 4-0. A few pitches later, Frankey Moree had a 2-run single to right center that scored Tate Shaw and Bates. That staked Higgins to a 6-0 lead, which he wouldn’t relinquish.
East Jackson got one in the next half inning, and the Indians scored 4 times in the fourth to put the game well out of reach. A couple of runs came by way of an error and wild pitch, but a Moree RBI single and Shaw run-scoring hit ballooned the lead to 10-1. The visitors got one back in the fifth and scored 3 more in the sixth to pull within 10-5. However, Aiden Gragg and Chase Pollock combined for 2 solid innings in relief to lock down the win.
Higgins’ win is his second of the season and 9th of his career. He went 5 innings, allowed 2 runs (one earned) on 5 hits and one walk while sitting down 10 hitters. Moree had a 3-hit night, complete with 3 RBI. Bates had a pair of hits and 2 RBI, while Grant and Shaw both had 2 hits and an RBI apiece. Tyler Popham had a double, run, and 2 stolen bases to his credit. Kylar Clouatre, Bastian, Malique Charlton, and Miller also all recorded a hit.
TFS is now 4-3 on the season, and all 4 wins have come with 10-plus runs. Counting a season-opening scrimmage win, the Indians have scored in double figures 5 times in 9 games.
