SUMMIT—Tiger baseball felll twice to SMCC Wednesday. The Tigers let up a last inning run to go down 3-2 in Game 1 of the doubleheader and then were downed 14-9 in the second contest of a chilly afternoon in Summit.

The Tigers got off to a fast start in Game 1. SS Tyler Crouch led the game off with a laser-like double to left and John Pafford followed with a single, helping CCC jump out to an early 1-0 lead.

The Bears retook the advantage in the bottom half of the 1st, tagging Tiger starter Michael Allen for a pair to make it 2-1.

The early scoring was not a harbringer of things to come. SMCC hurler Charlie Wadddingham bore down after a shaky first and limited CCC to just 2 hits over the next 5 frames. Hunter Collins, who took over for Allen in the 3rd, was phenomenal in relief, kicking off a great pitching duel in which the two teams managed just 1 run from the 2nd to the 6th. 

The Tigers tied the game on an RBI groundout by TJ Knowles in the penultimate frame, sending the game to the 7th all even at 2. 

Collins found a little trouble in the final frame though, allowing a leadoff double to Sam Richard. Richard was a thorn in the Tiger paw all afternoon. The speedy second baseman reached in every at bat of the doubleheader. After allowing him to reach for the third time in Game 1, Allen was relieved by Adam McPhail. With Richard standing on 3rd after a groundout to the right side, pinch hitter Duncan Cornfoot became a hero for the Bears. Cornfoot, making his 1st plate appearance, lined a base hit to center field to score Richard and seal the victory for SMCC.

Hudson Ross finished 2-for-3 for the Tigers, and John Pafford reached base twice in the loss. Collins, despite his excellent 3 innings of relief, took the loss, while Jordan McCaffrey, who pitched the 7th for SMCC, got the W.

Gmae 2 was a different story altogether. SMCC scored at least twice in each of the game's first 5 innings to set a new team season high in scoring. They touched up Tiger starter Garrett Short for 7 runs (6 earned) in the first 3 innings. Short, making his 3rd start of the season, surrendered 2 base hits to start the 3rd frame before exiting the game.

The Tigers made their share of noise against SMCC pitching. After being held scoreless by Bears starter Jade Whitten in the first two frames, they found their stroke, burning Whitten for 2 and then scoring 4 more of his reliever Brady Wilson.

Hudson Ross turned in another positive game at the plate, reaching base in all 4 of his at bats. The Independence High graduate finished with a double and 2 singles. Caleb Lindsey, who entered the game in the 4th as a pinch hitter, racked up 2 base hits himself. The Clarksdale High product delivered some timely shots, accumulating 3 RBI in just 2 at bats. Darian Bester and Braxton Wall each reached three times for the Tigers, and Zach Morris racked up a pair of RBI with a huge triple in the 4th.

The early hole proved to be too much to climb out of though for the visitors. With their 2nd loss of the afternoon, CCC dropped to 0-8 on the season. SMCC improved to 5-2.

The Diamond Tigers travel to Meridian CC on Saturday for a road DH with the Eagles. First pitch in Game 1 is slated for 2 pm.