Tigers slip past Vikings, drop contest to Kavemen

Riley Woodland reaches as he makes the play at first as the Tigers opened Thursday's game against the Caldwell Cougars.

Following their return to the field after spring break, the Mountain Home Tigers found the competition tough during a narrow win against Middleton before losing to Kuna.

Mountain Home 5, Middleton 4

A late steal at home gave the Tigers a one-run lead as they slipped past the Vikings on April 7.

Mountain Home led the scoreboard following a one-run lead in the first before Middleton racked up four runs at the bottom of the fourth. Consistent hitting by the Tigers allowed them to pick up two more in the fifth before knotting the score in the seventh.

The Tigers got the go-ahead at the top of the eighth while denying the Vikings at the bottom of the inning for the win.

Tyler Abernathy led Mountain Home at the plate with four runs and one RBI with Matt Ybarra adding two more runs. Riley Woodland earned three walks for the Tigers.

Cole Flipovich pitched eight consecutive innings for Mountain Home, which included one strikeout and 13 first-pitch strikes.

Mountain Home 3, Kuna 7

The Mountain Home Tigers led with 12 hits but were unable to convert many of them to runs as they trailed the Kuna Kavemen during a 3-7 loss April 12.

The Tigers led with two runs at the top of the first before the Kavemen retaliated with four at the bottom of the second to take a 4-2 lead. Kuna added another run in the fourth and two more in the sixth before the Tigers posted their final run in the seventh.

Esmer Castillo led the Tigers with two RBIs with Curan Price earning the team's third. Matt Ybarra finished the evening with four hits with Jayden Sexton earning a walk. Castillo pitched four innings for the Tigers, earning four strikeouts and 13 first-strike pitches. Jace Bennett earned two strikeouts and three first-strike pitches after one inning.

Mountain Home had a busy week, hosting the Caldwell Cougars at Eastside Park on Thursday and traveling to Caldwell on Friday. They remained on the road Monday afternoon to face Wood River before they hosted Skyview on Tuesday.

The Tigers face Bishop Kelly during a two-game series with an away game on Thursday, April 21, before they host the Knights during a 5 p.m. contest at Eastside Park. Their season continues on Tuesday as they once again face the Vikings.