Tigers fan nabs fiancée, then foul ball

Tigers fan nabs fiancée, then foul ball

Published Jun. 15, 2012 10:35 p.m. ET

DETROIT -- Matt Borst knew Friday was going to be a very special night.

Shana Anderson just thought she was going to a Tigers game at Comerica Park.

Neither one had any idea what the evening actually had in store.

It started with the help of Tigers mascot Paws and FOX Sports Detroit's Shannon Hogan. With a camera crew rolling in the middle of the fourth inning, Paws invited Anderson to play a guessing game. When she won, her prize was a baseball with a very special message.

"When Paws handed me the ball, I looked at it and it said, 'Will you marry Matt?'" Anderson said. "I looked over and Matt was down on one knee, proposing."

Luckily for everyone involved, Anderson quickly said yes and donned her new diamond ring.

"Shana has family in California, and I knew they would want to see it," Borst said. "So I emailed the Tigers and Shannon, and they helped set everything up for me."

If that had been the end of the evening's excitement, it would have been unforgettable enough for the couple. However, the baseball gods had one more surprise left in store.

A few innings after the proposal, the couple ended up with another prize -- a foul ball.

"I couldn't believe it," said Borst, one of 41,878 in the ballpark Friday. "It came right at us. I got my hands on it, but to be honest, I didn't catch it. It rolled away, but the nice gentleman across the aisle gave us the ball."

Still, Anderson was quick to show pride in her new fiancé.

"He got his hands on it, so that's just as good as catching," she said. "At least it is to me."

Armed with the proposal ball, the foul ball and a diamond ring, the couple had only one wish left.

"I hope the Tigers win the game," Borst said in the eighth inning, with the score tied. "It would be even better if it goes extra innings, so this night can just keep going."

The game did go extra innings, but the ending wasn't a fairytale one for the newly engaged couple and their Tigers. The Colorado Rockies scored eight times in the top of the 10th to win 12-4.

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