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Sports

Underdog Middleton High Baseball Team Faces Favorites

After an easy win over Strawberry Crest on Tuesday, Middleton High's Tigers advanced to the class 4A district 9 semifinals.

Middleton High School's baseball team waltzed to the semifinals of the class 4a district 9 tournament with a 10-0 victory in five innings over Strawberry Crest on Tuesday.

Junior Durin O'Linger got the start on the mound pitching all five innings for his team. The Tigers' bats came alive in the third inning when they scored three runs. Another seven runs in the next two innings finished off the game to set up a meeting with Jesuit.

"We started off slow," coach Vernon Slater said. "We had beaten these guys during the regular season and we knew what to expect, it just took a few innings to get going. We made the routine plays and did the right things."

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The top four seeds in the district all mercy ruled their first opponent leaving just the cream of the crop to battle it out. Steinbrenner will take on Jefferson with the winner facing either Jesuit or Middleton in the final.

The Tigers were 0-2 against Jesuit this season. To compound matters, Jesuit are hosts of the tournament giving them home field advantage.

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"This is a tough game for us because they are a very good team," Slater said. "This game is going to come down to who makes less mistakes. When you're playing a team like that, you just can't give them anything."

Slater has maintained all season long that this year is Middleton's year to take the district title if they're going to do it. A win over top seeded Jesuit qualifies them for the playoffs and would be a major confidence boost for the Tigers.

"If we can win this game tomorrow then I think that we will win districts," Slater said. "A win like that will give my guys a lot of confidence. I think we'll be tough to beat. Tough enough that we could go far in the playoffs."

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