Tough Start for the Rays
Our boys took on the Detroit Tigers tonight, and it was a tough game with a heartbreaking finish. It all began with a quiet first inning where both teams couldn't get any runs on the board. Unfortunately, our bats were still warming up.Rays Jump to an Early Lead! 
The 3rd inning saw some excitement when Ben Rortvedt hit a single to right followed by a brilliant infield single by Taylor Walls. With two on base, Brandon Lowe stepped up and delivered a clutch single to right, driving in Rortvedt and Walls to put us ahead 2-0! 
Then in the 5th inning, Taylor Walls showcased his speed with a triple to right and scored on a wild pitch by Tigers' reliever Mize, making it 3-0 Rays! 
Tigers Start to Roar Back 
But the Tigers didn't stay silent for long. In the bottom of the 6th, Matt Vierling walked and Colt Keith tripled, pulling Detroit within 2 runs. To make matters worse, Kerry Carpenter roped a single to right, bringing Keith home to cut our lead to 3-2.Rays' Offense Dries Up 
From the 6th inning on, we struggled to find any offensive rhythm. The combination of the Tigers' pitching and some unfortunate groundouts and strikeouts kept our guys off balance.Tigers Take the Lead 
In the bottom of the 8th, Cleavinger struggled on the mound. Riley Greene singled to right and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Matt Vierling then walked, and Colt Keith singled to center, driving in Greene to tie the game. The nail in the coffin came when Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Vierling to score, putting the Tigers up 4-3.Final Push Falls Short 
Our last chance came in the 9th inning against Tigers' reliever Jason Foley. Despite our effort, Dylan Carlson flied out to center, and then both Josh Lowe and Jose Siri struck out swinging, ending our comeback hopes.Final Thoughts 
It's always tough to swallow a close loss, especially when we had an early lead. But there were positives like Brandon Lowe’s clutch hitting and Taylor Walls's exciting play. Let's regroup and come back stronger for our next game! Go Rays! 
Scoreboard for Rays @ Tigers (September 26th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |