Norwich - Perhaps one day Dodd Stadium fans will say they watched the Connecticut Tigers debut of a future major leaguer.

Of course, it's far too early to tell if Aaron Westlake is major league baseball material.

Give Westlake time to develop.

The Tigers are banking on Westlake. They made the former Vanderbilt star their third-round pick - 106th overall - in the June draft. He arrived here as one of the organization's bright young minor league prospects.

Batting third and playing first base Saturday, Westlake had a quiet first game before 2,059 fans. Westlake was 1-for-6 with two strikeouts against the Batavia Muckdogs.

His teammates provided the power, as Tyler Collins belted two solo home runs, including the game-winner over the right field fence with two outs in the 12th inning for a dramatic 5-4 victory. Eugenio Suarez added a three-run home run in fifth.

"I was just looking for a pitch to drive," said Collins in a post-game interview on the field. "I've been working in the cage."

Nick Avila (2-0), the fifth Tiger pitcher, earned the win, allowing one hit in three innings.

In his first game with the Tigers (18-22), Westlake hit two balls out of the infield - a fly out and bouncing single to right field.

At a powerfully built 6 feet, 4 inches, 235 pounds, Westlake looked like a slugger standing in at the plate. He has the reputation as a heavy hitter, too.

In June, he belted three two-run home runs against Oregon State, sending Vanderbilt to its first College World Series. He had a team-high 17 home runs overall while batting .343 with 55 RBI for the Commodores (54-12).

After being drafted, he began his professional career playing for the Gulf Coast League Tigers. He went 3-for-18 with a double, home run and four RBI in five games before leaving for Connecticut.

He had a couple chances to be the hero on Saturday. He came to the plate with runners on first and third with two outs in the ninth of a 4-4 game. But he swung at the first pitch, grounding out to third.

The ninth inning featured a controversial call that helped kill the Tiger rally. Prior to Westlake's at-bat, Suarez drove a single to right field, sending Jeff Holm steaming toward the plate. Catcher Juan Castillo dropped the one-hop throw but recovered and tagged the sliding Holm.

Home plate umpire J.J. Bilinski called Holm out on a close play. Tiger manager Andrew Graham argued.

The New York-Penn game went to extra innings after Westlake's out.

Both teams stranded runners in scoring position in the 10th, Connecticut and Batavia went deep into bullpen crews.

Westlake had another opportunity make his Tiger debut a memorable one. With the winning run on third with two outs in the 11th, Westlake struck out on a 1-2 pitch.

Collins came to the rescue with his third home run of the season.

The home-stand continues today with Batavia. Game time is 1:05 p.m. The teams also play at 7:05 p.m. Monday.

g.keefe@theday.com