DEMOPOLIS &8212; Demopolis Middle School baseball coach Brian Bradley was less than satisfied with his team&8217;s two-loss performance in the Thomasville Tournament Saturday, but remained positive about the outlook for the remainder of the season.

While Bradley&8217;s optimism has proven unshakeable so far, he is by no means nonchalant about what he considers a day of missed opportunities.

The Tigers&8217; opening game, a 6-3 loss in eight innings to Leroy Middle School, featured squandered scoring chances in the fourth and fifth innings &8212; either of which would have prevented the extra frame from being played.

After failing to score with runners on the corners in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tigers got a leadoff double from Logan Holley in the fifth.

A pair of strikeouts and a hit-and-run miscue spelled the end of the inning for DMS, extending the game long enough for Leroy to break through in extras.

DMS starting pitcher Taylor Polk racked up five strikeouts in four innings before giving way to Cole Thrasher, who fanned four batters through the remainder of the contest. Thrasher also went 2-for-4 at the plate, scoring one of the three Tiger runs.

Holley had a triple and an RBI in addition to his double.

Paine Hasty tripled in the game, while Daniel Sturdivant went 2-for-3. David Tutt and Alex Sturdivant each scored a run in the contest.

Bradley believes the emotional letdown of the Leroy loss plagued his team in game two, as the Tigers fell to Thomasville, 5-1.

Monday afternoon, Bradley had a lengthy pre-practice discussion with his squad about the lessons to be learned from Saturday&8217;s experience.

Then the coach turned his focus to finishing the season strong.

The Tigers will need a positive outlook, as they are looking at a tough road for the next few games.

The team will play seven games this week, starting with a double-header against Selma at the Sports-Plex today at 4:30 p.m.

DMS will play Loydwood and Echols on the road Friday night before hosting Hillcrest, American Christian Academy and Selma on Saturday.