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Collins Walks Tigers Off With 5-4 Win

July 30, 2011 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
Norwich Sea Unicorns News Release


NORWICH, CT - Tyler Collins hit two homer runs on Saturday night, the second long ball was a walk-off shot in the bottom of the twelfth inning that gave the Connecticut Tigers a 5-4 win over the Batavia Muckdogs at Dodd Stadium.

With the game tied at four going into the twelfth inning, Collins took a pitch from Javier Avendano and blasted it over all three levels of signage in right field for a walk-off victory.

The Muckdogs struck first and got on top early in the first inning. Garrett Wittels led off the game with a base hit and advanced all the way to third on an Aaron Westlake throwing error. Tiger's starter Matt Crouse had Wittels picked off as he threw to Westlake, but with Wittels headed for second the first baseman's throw to second was over the head of Eugenio Saurez and into left field.

A sacrifice fly ball from Romulo Ruiz scored Wittels and David Medina followed with his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot that put Batavia up 2-0.

However, the Tigers would take their first lead of the game in the fifth inning on one swing of the bat. Colin Kaline drew a walk to start off the frame and Jeff Holm lined a base hit to put two runners on. Two batters later, Suarez launched a three-run blast to left that gave Connecticut a 3-2 lead.

Batavia would return the favor and even the game at three in the sixth. Juan Castillo hit a leadoff double and Ruiz drove him in with a double of his own. Medina and Roberto Reyes drew walks to load the bases with only one out, but Rayni Guichardo got back-to-back strikeouts of Danny Steinstra and Kevin Moscatel to get out of the jam.

Connecticut regained the lead at 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth on a monster shot from Tyler Collins, his second homer of the season, a ball that cleared all three levels of signage in right field.

In the eighth inning the Muckdogs would come back to tie the game at four. Medina drew a one-out walk and Virgil Hill reached on a Jason King fielding error. Roberto Reyes grounded into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. Steinstra then came up with a blooper single into right that scored Medina from third and tied the game back up at four.

The Tigers got the first two men aboard, Kaline and Holm, in the ninth via walks. Chad Wright reached on a fielder's choice and took Kaline off the bases. With men on first and second, Suarez slapped a base hit to right, but Holm was thrown out at the plate by Batavia's right fielder Reyes. Westlake then grounded out with runners on first and third to send the game to extra innings.

The Tigers threatened again in the tenth and eleventh innings. With two outs in the tenth, Connecticut got back-to-back singles from Collins and Zach Maggard, but Kaline struck out to end the inning. In the eleventh, Holm got an infield base hit to start, he advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Chad Wright and to third on a Suarez groundout, but Westlake struck out to end the inning again.

After giving up a single to the first batter he faced in the tenth inning, Nick Avila retired the next nine batters he faced and kept the game even, allowing Collins heroics. Avila earned his second win of the year and improved to 2-0.

The Tigers will play the second game of the three-game series against the Batavia Muckdogs tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 PM.

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