By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser

The start of the 2014 baseball season hasn’t been kind to the Chilton County Tigers.

Facing some of the toughest competition they will see all season in their first two games, the Tigers found themselves 0-2 and facing yet another formidable opponent on Friday night in the Saint James Trojans.

Multiple errors by the Tigers and hits by the Trojans that just seemed to find all the holes cost Chilton County in a 16-3 loss in five innings of Game 1 of a doubleheader.

The Trojans picked up five runs in the first two innings, two coming off Tiger errors.

Meanwhile, the Tigers would score two in the bottom half of the third inning as Cade Hatch and Gabe Hayes crossed the plate for Chilton County.

Despite being down only two runs going into the fourth inning, an 11-run inning by the Trojans was the proverbial nail in the coffin.

The Tigers added one more in the bottom half of the fifth on a run-scoring single by J.D. Minor, but a 13-run deficit at the end of the fifth inning would bring into affect the mercy rule to end the game.

With the Tigers having picked up their third straight loss, coach Josey Shannon took his team to the locker room between games for a little “refocusing session.”

The Tigers came out on fire for Game 2, which ended in a 12-0 victory.

A three-run shot over the left field wall by Gabe Hayes in the first inning gave the Tigers some much needed momentum to start the game.

With the bases loaded and two outs, a Corbin Bice triple to center field cleared the bases as part of a seven-run inning by the Tigers in the bottom of the second.

After two innings of play, the Tigers led 10-0.

With the Tiger bats having come alive, the Chilton County pitching also picked up significantly as Tyler Maddox and the Tiger defense retired batter after batter.

The Tigers added two more in the bottom of the third on a Garret Deavers two-run home run, and with Maddox completing the no-hitter through the top of the fifth inning, the Tigers picked up their first win.

Hayes led the Tigers at the plate in Game 1, going 2-for-2 with a double and a single. Garren Minor got the start on the mound and pitched 2 2/3 innings while giving up five earned runs, seven hits and two strikeouts.

Hayes bettered his performance from Game 1 in the second game by going 2-of-3 with a three-run home run and a single.

Maddox pitched a no-hitter through five innings with two strikeouts and a walk.