Tigers Record 10-4, 6-2

Region 6C Playoffs

‘B’ STATE TOURNEY

‘C’ STATE TOURNEY

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Tigers Run Roughshod
in RVL Road Games

-- by Brett Kruschke, Jack Gill, Matt Ruehling & Matt Schultz

After an unsatisfying exit from the Tigertown Classic on June 8, the Tiger Train got back on track by winning all three games last week. Belle Plaine raised its record to 10-4 on the season with a stout 6-2 mark in the River Valley League. Jordan, at 8-0, is the only other RVL C team currently above .500.

The Tigers hosted Lonsdale last Wednesday and despite trailing 6-1, used three home runs to out-slug the Aces, 11-9. Friday saw the T-Train chug into Fairfax, where Wes Sarsland silenced the Cardinal lineup in an 8-0 shutout. On Sunday, Brody Curtiss provided more of the same and the locals won big at Henderson, lashing out 20 hits – including 10 for extra bases – in a 16-1 drubbing.

Team Tigertown will take the work-week off in preparation for defending last year’s Farming Tournament title. The Tigers will square off against the host Farming Flames at 12 pm Saturday and play a second game later that day, against St. Joseph or Winsted, at 6 pm with a loss or 8 pm with a win. Depending how the tournament unfolds, the Tigers may also play a game on Sunday.

On Tuesday, our lads will get a chance to smear Jordan’s unbeaten league record when they visit the Mini Met at 7:30 pm. Typically we only plug one week’s worth of games at a time, but don’t forget to make plans for the Friday, June 28 Alumni Game at Tiger Park. A most memorable night is on tap! Full details will be in next week’s Herald.

Stay up-to-date with all the Tiger travails at this weekend’s Farming Tournament via twitter.com/bptigertown and the mothership, bptigertown.com.

Lonsdale 9 @ BP 11 (Wednesday, June 12)

Following a heartbreaking semifinal loss in the Tigertown Classic, 6-5 to Hamburg, the Tigers welcomed the Lonsdale Aces into town on a cool Wednesday night. Curtiss crushed a home run in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game, 1-1. But the Aces were ready to play as Tigers starting pitcher Jared Miller got touched for six runs while getting just four outs.

As Jake Mercado took the ball for the Tigers, they trailed 6-1 heading to the bottom of the second. The Mighty Tigers rose up, though, adding five more runs over the next three innings. Carsen Ladd, Derek Dahlke, and Mercado all contributed big hits while helping cut the deficit to one run. Mercado’s hit, oh by the way, was his first career home run.

With BP leading 9-7, Nathan Herman relieved Mercado of his duties in the sixth and went the rest of the way. The last of the game’s runs came in the sixth inning as both teams plated a pair of runs. Lonsdale tied the score once again thanks to an RBI double and a wild pitch, but the Tigers finished Lonsdale off with another Curtiss home run, this time a two-run bomba.

Across his four innings, Herman notched five punchouts. Tiger infielders led the way as Curtiss, Derek Dahlke (or was it Zac?), Carsen Ladd, and Mercado combined for all seven of the team’s hits as overall, they went 7-for-18 with five extra-base hits.

BP 8 @ Fairfax 0 (Friday, June 14)

After a quick top of the first inning, the Tigers offense woke up by scoring one run in the second, third and fourth innings. The big blow came in the fifth. After an error and a walk, Sarsland clubbed a two-run double, and he later scored on a RBI groundout from Clayton Meyer.

The Tigers added on two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth behind an RBI double from Derek Dahlke, who later scored on an error. In total, the Tigers had nine hits, led by Curtiss, Tyler O’Brien, and Luke Schmidt with two apiece.

Defensively, the Tigers were ready all night. Sarsland took the mound and never relinquished the game ball. Our last All-Star lefty went the distance for his first complete game of the year, scattering three hits and three walks while striking out four.

BP 16 @ Henderson 1 (7 innings – Sunday, June 16)

It was a battle of Tigers as Belle Plaine travelled to Henderson for a Sunday afternoon showdown. After going quietly in the first inning, the local cats batted around in the second and plated six runs to give starter Brody Curtiss more than enough support for the day.

The felines wouldn’t stop there, however, as they scored another run in the third, two in the fourth, five in the sixth and two in the seventh to take the game in seven innings by the ten-run rule. Curtiss worked five frames, giving up no runs while striking out seven. Former Henderson Tiger turned BP Tiger turned Henderson Tiger and back to BP Tiger Clayton Meyer worked the final two frames, giving up one run while striking out two batters, Tiger.

Hitting stars were aplenty for the local nine, as they cranked out 20 hits – featuring a whopping nine doubles and a triple. Derek Dahlke, Curtiss, Mercado and Miller all chipped in three hits apiece, with the latter three each collecting a pair of two-baggers. Zac Dahlke made a fine pinch-running appearance, standing on first base for one pitch before exiting the game to resume first-base coaching duties.

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