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FARMINGTON – The Dallas Tigers found another way to win in dramatic fashion Saturday night at Ricketts Park, rallying from a two-run deficit with only an out to spare in the bottom of the seventh inning before scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Midland Redskins 3-2 and claim the 2023 Connie Mack World Series championship.
The Tigers, trailing 2-0 with two out in the bottom of the seventh, were moments away from losing the title game when Sawyer Farr’s line drive to right field got past Midland second baseman Charlie Niehaus. The hit allowed both Brady Gray and Major Brignon to score and send the game into extra innings.
Cooper Moore scored the game-winning and championship-clinching run in the bottom of the ninth inning when he slid across home plate after a third strike to Park Prater got away from Midland catcher Noah Miller. Moore, who was on third base with nobody out, slid in under the tag as Miller tossed the ball back to home plate and pitcher Trevor Ziegler tried to cover.
“It was one of those plays that you don’t draw up, but (Moore) was heads-up on the play, and got the run we needed,” said Tigers coach Brett Bergman.
An improbable string of events for sure, but not uncommon for the Tigers this week, who won their first Connie Mack World Series title, but did so while beating the defending champions, all while earning their third come-from-behind, walk-off win of the tournament.
“I tell these kids all the time that we have 21 outs to go out there and win a ballgame,” Bergman said. “When we were down, I kept reminding them of how much confidence I had in them and to keep believing in themselves.”
For Midland, coming within one strike of winning their 18th CMWS title after playing a solid game in the championship game was a hard pill to swallow.
“We have no excuses. They made one more play than we did,” said Midland head coach Dave Evans. “We had a lot of chances to win the game and we didn’t, and we let them come back and make the plays that won it for them.”
The Tigers’ flair for the dramatic has been on display for much of the World Series, having won in walk-off fashion to earn victories over the Southern California Renegades and the Colton Nighthawks.
In the 10-9 triumph over the Renegades, Gray’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth proved to be the difference. Against the Nighthawks, Dallas scored five times in the bottom of the seventh inning, capped off by a Sawyer Strosnider pop-up that got away from Colton first baseman Tyler Holley, allowing Gray and Brignon to score and remain unbeaten in the tournament.
“Every single one of these kids, there’s not a moment that’s too big for them,” Bergman said. “They all believe in each other and work together and find ways to get the job done.”
For much of the night in front of a packed house at Ricketts Park, Midland appeared to be on its way to a championship. They wasted little time getting the lead, with Noah Miller’s 2-out double scoring designated hitter Nolan Souza in the top of the first inning.
Both starting pitchers had solid performances on the hill. Despite giving up a run in the first inning, Tigers starter Jack Hickerson struck out six batters and allowed only three hits and three walks through five complete innings. Nate Taylor, starting for Midland, surrendered only five hits after six innings in one of the most complete pitching efforts of the tournament.
Taylor avoided a potential jam in the bottom of the fourth inning. After back-to-back singles by Dallas’ Caleb Hoover and Colton Roquemore with one out, Taylor struck out Louis Bussard and Colton Moore to end the threat.
Taylor needed some defensive help in the fifth inning after giving up back-to-back base hits to Gray and Brignon. The Redskins responded with a ground ball out to third baseman Jake Daltrui, followed by a fielder’s choice to Niehaus and a great play in the corner by right fielder Evan Haeger.
Clay Burdette added to the Midland lead with a solo shot to left field with one out in the top of the sixth inning and giving the Redskins a 2-0 lead.
Burdette has been a solid contributor for the Redskins during the tournament. He drove in the game-winning run on Wednesday night when Midland knocked off the D-Bat United, then added a 2-run home run on Friday night against Colton.
Burdette’s home run ended the night for Hickerson, who threw 83 pitches and gave up five hits in 5⅓ innings. His performance in the title game landed him a spot on the all-tournament team roster.
Hickerson was replaced on the mound for Cooper Strawn, who struck out the only batter he faced before being replaced by Hoover, who closed out the sixth inning.
Taylor’s good fortune ran out in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third with two out. Farr’s line drive past Niehaus tied the game and ended Taylor’s night just one out and one strike shy of a complete game victory in the championship contest.
“(Taylor) was outstanding for us, and the defense came up big for him all night long,” Evans said. “It’s a disappointing result for him after the night he had. He’s been such a good pitcher for us through all of this.”
Trevor Ziegler came into the game and closed out the seventh when he picked Farr off first base to send the game into extra innings.
Both teams got a runner on base but were unable to capitalize on them in the eighth inning.
After giving up a leadoff walk to Daltrui in the top of the ninth, the Tigers pulled Hoover in favor of Berkeley Roddy, who got the Redskins down in order.
In the bottom of the ninth, Cooper Moore singled to open the inning, followed by a walk to Brady Gray and an infield single to Major Brignon, which brought Prater to the plate with bases loaded and nobody out for what would prove to be the dramatic finale.
“You just never know how a game is going to play out,” Bergman said. “We’ve had big efforts from so many of these kids all summer long so as surprising as this is, it’s not hard to believe at all.”
For Midland, it’s the 20th time in team history they came within a game of winning or playing for the Connie Mack World Series championship. One of the most decorated organizations in amateur baseball, the Redskins have played in the CMWS 39 times since 1981.
Hoover was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. With a batting average of .562 which included four runs batted in, Hoover was also flawless at first base this past week.
Farr also earned a spot on the all-tournament roster, winning the Golden Glove award after recording seven putouts and 13 assists with a perfect fielding percentage from the shortstop position.
Here’s how we got here.
The Midland Redskins jumped on top of the Colton Nighthawks and never looked back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning and beating the Colton Nighthawks by a score of 10-7 to move into Saturday’s championship game of the Connie Mack World Series.
Midland, which lost its first game of bracket play earlier this week, won its fifth consecutive games, outscoring their rivals 40-17 in the process.
Friday’s win over Colton meant they will face the Dallas Tigers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for a chance to secure the program’s 18th championship of one of the country’s most prestigious tournaments in amateur baseball.
Colton drew first blood, scoring a run in the top of the first inning before the Redskins answered in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a 2-RBI double by Nolan Souza, followed by RBI singles by Noah Miller and Evan Haeger.
Leading 3-1 after an inning, Midland scored a run in the second, then opened up a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Clay Burdette hit a 2-run home run over the center field wall, part of a three-run frame.
Meantime, starting pitcher Chase Herrell was in command for nearly four innings, striking out four batters and allowing only a pair of runs before he ran into some trouble when he loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning. Herrell escaped the jam, surrendering only one run and keeping Midland in command 7-2.
Herrell was relieved from the game after throwing 99 pitches over 4⅓ innings and surrendering three runs and replaced on the mound by Ty Waid.
The Nighthawks put up a rally in the top of the fifth after Marcos Rosales scored from third on a wild pitch followed by back-to-back RBI’s by Bryan Martinez and Roman Meyers. Colton then got another RBI single from Logan Kelly, which scored Martinez to score four runs, trimming Midland’s lead to 7-6.
The Redskins answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to a three-run home run by Jake Daltrui that drove in Haeger and Parker Picot, extending the Midland lead to 10-6.
The Nighthawks closed the gap with one out in the top of the seventh inning, scoring a run before Waid slammed the door, striking out Meyers.
Midland defeated Dallas earlier Friday night by a score of 10-4, handing the Tigers their first loss of the tournament.
After some early fireworks in which both teams scored a combined nine runs in the first two innings, the Midland Redskins again managed to fight off elimination, handing the Dallas Tigers their first loss of the Connie Mack World Series in a 10-4 verdict.
The Tigers struck first, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, led by RBIs by Caleb Hoover, Cooper Moore and Colton Roquemore giving Dallas an early 3-0 lead.
That lead was short-lived as the Redskins scored four times in the bottom of the first. Parker Picot drove in three runs with a bases-loaded triple as Midland sent eight batters to the plate in the frame.
Both teams scored a run in the second inning before pitching and defense began to take over later in the game.
Midland starter Hunter Shaw was relieved after one inning and replaced by Will Murphy. Murphy was effective out of the bullpen, allowing only a pair of hits and two walks over 4⅓ innings with 2 strikeouts. After giving up back-to-back walks in the top of the sixth inning to Roquemore and Louis Bussard, Murphy was relieved by Ty Waid.
Meantime, Dallas’ starting pitcher Alex Caddell was pulled from the mound early, going only two-thirds of an inning before he was replaced by Brady Coe.
Coe was solid for much of his time on the hill before he gave up a 2-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to Charlie Niehaus, which extended the Redskins lead to 7-4. Coe went 3⅔ innings and gave up seven hits and three runs before he was pulled from the mound in favor of Cam Harris.
The Redskins extended the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Picot drove in a pair of runs on a single to left, scoring Nolan Souza and Clay Burdette and giving Midland a 9-4 advantage. On the night, Picot went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple and five runs batted in.
The Colton Nighthawks moved within one game of playing for the 2023 Connie Mack World Series title after a 9-3 win over the Southern California Renegades on Friday afternoon at Ricketts Park.
The Nighthawks led from start to finish, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, led by Ryder Young’s run on a wild pitch, followed by a sacrifice fly by Trent Abel that plated Marcos Rosales and Roman Meyers’ run-scoring fielders choice which brought in Ryan Kroepel.
Starting pitcher Mason Edwards threw a gem for the Nighthawks, striking out 12 batters in six full innings of work. The only notable blemish on his pitching line was a home run he gave up in the top of the fourth inning to Renegades right fielder Matthew Thomas that trimmed the Nighthawks lead for a moment to 3-1.
Edwards, for the tournament, threw a total of 10 innings and struck out 20 batters, making him one of the most productive pitchers of the CMWS.
“He’s been our horse all summer,” said Nighthawks head coach Ruben Montano. “He throws strikes and keeps batters off balance, which is what you need to do against a dangerous lineup like this one.”
Colton got the run back just moments later. Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Eric Jeon launched a home run over the right field wall to put the Nighthawks up by a 4-1 score.
That was followed in the top of the fifth inning by a crushing grand slam by Jarren Sanderson, part of a five-run frame that gave Colton all the cushion they’d need on their way to the win.
“Guys like (Jeon) and (Sanderson) have been coming up big for us in critical situations like that all summer long, so it was good to see them do it again for us,” said Montano.
The loss eliminated the Renegades from the Connie Mack World Series with a tournament record of 5-2. Coached by Si Pettrow, the Renegades were led at the plate by Zach Fjelstad who batted .467 with two home runs and eight runs batted in, as well as Blake Wilson (.471 batting average, two home runs and four RBI’s) and Nate Norman who drove in seven runs and scored five times.
