Sports Writer

After strutting an undefeated record through most of the 2000 Dixie Youth season, the Tigers finally bit the bitter pill of defeat as the Braves used a two-run homer in the bottom of the final inning to break a 1-1 tie.

Both teams played well defensively as neither was able to get a run through the first three innings. Braves' pitcher David Stephenson and Tigers' pitcher David Moore both had six strikeouts through the first three innings.

But, the Tigers got back on track in the top of the fourth inning as they took a 1-0 lead. A. Moore helped himself at the plate as he hit a one-out single and then scored on a double by David Moore.

The Tiger's defense opened the gate for the Braves in the bottom of the fourth as Tyler Newton reached base on an error. With two outs in the inning, Jonathan Giddens nailed a pitch to left-center field for a double, allowing Newton to tie the game, 1-1.

Once again, the pitchers dominated in the fifth inning.

A. Moore got into a two-out bases-loaded jam for the Tigers, but a groundball allowed him to walk off the field without giving up a run. Moore cruised through the inning as he struck out the three batters he faced.

With one inning to play, the Tigers once again threatened with two outs as the Braves committed two errors. But, another strikeout by Moore kept the game tied.

Moore began the bottom of the sixth well by striking out the leadoff batter. With one on, Brady Newton hit a single, but the Tigers were able to get the second out of the inning at second.

With a runner on second and two outs, the Tigers appeared to be out of the inning as they secured two strikes against Michael McDonald. But, McDonald nailed the next strike, sending the ball deep over the fence for a game-winning homer against the league-leading Tigers.

The last-inning heroics allowed Stephenson to earn the victory. He finished the game with twelve strikeouts. Moore suffered the loss and struck out twelve.

Tigers 15, Orioles 6

The Tigers got back on the winning track and wrapped up the Dixie Youth league title with a 15-6 victory over the Orioles.

The Tigers jumped on top in the top of the first inning as Adam Moore hit a single and then came home on a two-run homer by David Moore to give them a 2-0 lead.

But, the Orioles came right back and tied the game on a base hit by Blake Conway that allowed Conyers Poole and Reco Johnson to score.

The Tigers continued where they left off in the top of the second as Ben Callen led off the inning with a walk. With one out, Demario Abrams reached when he was hit by a pitch and a walk to Chris Gormon loaded the bases. Callen broke the tie on an error off the bat of Caleb Blackburn. But, A. Moore came through with the big hit as he lined a double that scored two more runs. Blackburn also came around to score in the inning on a base hit by D. Moore that gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead.

The score remained the same until the bottom of the third when the O's got back into the game on a two-out, two-run double by Will Farrar that scored Poole and Zack McCann, cutting the lead to 6-4.

In the top of the fifth, the Tigers stretched their lead to 8-4 as a series of wild pitches led the way for A. Moore and D. Moore to score.

But, the real damage came in the top of the sixth as the Tigers scored six runs to pull to a 15-4 lead. The Tigers had already scored two runs in the inning when D. Moore blasted his second homerun of the game, this one a three-run shot.

The Orioles came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning as John Lewis Golson hit a long homer to right center field. But, they were unable to keep the rally going as they fell, 15-6 to the league champions.

A. Moore earned the victory for the Tigers, scoring twelve strikeouts.

Diamondbacks 10, Reds 0

The Diamondbacks improved their record with a dominating performance over the last-place Reds. Ben Coker pitched a five-inning shutout to help lead his team to victory.

The D'backs scored in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead as Lynn Lewis, who had doubled, came in to score on a wild pitch.

They added another in the second when Andrew Phelps came around to score, giving the D'backs a 2-0 lead.

They pulled away from the Reds in the bottom of the third inning as Scott Varnar, Lewis and

Mika Jones scored to make the score 5-0.

In the meantime, Coker was cruising through the Reds' lineup as he had recorded five strikeouts through the first three innings.

The D'backs produced more runs in the fourth as Phelps, Steven Tilley, Varnar and Lewis

each scored to make it a 9-0 game.

Rolondo Purifoy used a series of wild pitches to score the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth as they defeated the Reds 10-0.

Coker earned the victory and recorded nine batters.

Orioles 9, Reds 3

The Orioles used a six-run inning to help propel them over the Reds by a final score of 9-3.

The O's got things going in the top of the first as Will Farrar hit a double that scored Conyers Poole and Zack McCann. Reco Johnson also scored in the inning to give the Orioles a 3-0 lead.

The Reds cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third inning as Dalton Gregory scored on a wild pitch.

But, in the top of the fouth the Orioles exploded. Zack McCann hit a one-out double and scored on another double by Johnson. Farrar earned a walk and an error led the way for Blake Conway to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed a run to score and then a triple by Jack Daughtry cost the Reds two more runs. Daughtry scored on a double by Golson who also scored in the inning to give the D'backs a 9-1 lead.

The Reds got something going in the bottom of the fourth as Justin Hester and Will Bowman scored on a double by Demonte Crenshaw. But, the rally ended short as the Reds fell, 9-3.

Golson earned the victory for the D'backs, striking out eleven batters.