Baseball Enthusiasts Tim Huber and Paula Hartman to Tie Knot at Tiger Park
by Dan Ruud (Belle Plaine Herald)
Tim Huber has frequented Tiger Park over the years, both as a youth and an adult. During his years at Belle Plaine High School, he played countless baseball and football games at the facility, as well as many games as a teen and adult as a member of the Belle Plaine town baseball team. He also conducts his annual youth baseball camps at Tiger Park.
This Saturday, Huber, 35, plans to add another chapter to his Tiger Park memoirs – his wedding.
Huber, who is head coach of the baseball team at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., is marrying Paula Hartman of Jordan, who taught a number of years at St. John the Baptist Catholic School there, where she is also a 1989 alumni. She graduated from Jordan High School in 1995.
In a recent St. John the Baptist newsletter, it states that one of Hartman’s favorite things to do is “hang out with friends at a baseball game – either town ball, college or professional.”
“Actually, one of Ms. Hartman’s personal goals is to travel to all the professional baseball stadiums. This is a good goal to have as she recently got engaged to Tim Huber, who is the head baseball coach for Augustana College,” continued the article.
Huber and Hartman have been friends since they were teenagers. They are both graduates of Minnesota State University-Mankato. Huber received his degree in sports management with a coaching minor. Hartman earned degrees in family life, child development and early childhood.
Why tie the knot at Tiger Park?
“The short story is that we were not allowed to get married in a Catholic church, so this was always Paula’s second option,” Huber said. “She really wanted to get married at her church (St. Johns in Jordan), but because the Catholic Church denied my request for an annulment, that wasn’t an option.”
Huber and Hartman have been engaged for about 18 months.
Huber has lived in Sioux Falls since becoming head baseball coach at Augustana, where he is beginning his fifth year and has a coaching record of 123-90, a significant improvement from where the program was before he got there. Prior to Augustana, Huber was head coach at Dakota Technical College for four years. His overall college coaching record is 221-161-1.
Huber, a 1996 graduate of BPHS, had a pretty remarkable baseball playing career, both at BPHS and MSU. He won numerous individual honors and was a standout at both high school and college throughout his playing days. He has also played numerous seasons for the Belle Plaine town Tigers and has been selected to play in multiple all-star games.
When asked what his favorite memories are of Tiger Park, Huber recalled one day as a freshman at BPHS when he went 7-of-8 at the plate, including a couple of home runs against Le Center. Another game he remembers caught the attention of MSU assistant coaches who were scouting a game his senior year. He hit a ball that one-hopped the fence at the 436 mark.
“I have some good football memories of playing at Tiger Park, too – some big hits on opposing players and catching a halfback pass to win a playoff game in overtime against Watertown-Mayer my sophomore year,” Huber said.
Huber’s other favorite Tiger Park memories were “anytime Jeff ‘Hot Dog’ Miller would get an extra-base hit. Seeing the competitive joy and excitement on Dog’s face was always great to see. That is what the game of baseball is all about,” Huber said.
Could the wedding possibly top any of the above?
“I think without a doubt this (wedding) will be my fondest memory of Tiger Park,” Huber said.
Saturday’s exchange of vows will take place at the home plate area. Rev. Jeff Bruder, a former teammate of Huber’s on the Tiger town team, will officiate the ceremony. The best man is another former teammate of Huber’s, Shane Hofmann. The maid/matron of honors will be Christine Danielson and Brenda Otteson, the bride’s sisters.
Huber said there will be a “very large” tent in right field for the reception and dance that will follow the 3 p.m. ceremony. Some 375 to 400 guests are expected to attend.
Although it will have to wait a few months, the couple’s honeymoon will also have a strong baseball tie.
“I’m taking my baseball team to Hawaii this February and Paula will be coming with. We plan to stay a few extra days after the team leaves,” Huber said.
9/13/12 (10:26 a.m.) - Via a Facebook post this morning, long time Team TigerTown pitcher and self proclaimed 'Ace of the Staff' Shane Hofmann officially announced his retirement from the game.
"Handed in my town team uni's at the board meeting last night. Hangin up the cleats. I know I'm going to miss it like crazy, but it's time."
Hampered by elbow injuries as of late Hofmann knew that now was the time to make his last pitch, by throwing in the towel.
"The fact my elbow hurts every time I throw a baseball doesn't help. And I'm really looking forward to more time with the fam AND playing more golf."
Fans of Hofmann are not to fret; he still plans to be around the park to see his old friends and hopefully make some more new ones.
"I feel really lucky and priveledged to play ball in BP for 17 years. It's been a blast and I've made hundreds of friends through ball. I'll still be at the park as a board member...I'll just be heckling now!"
Hofmann held a 68-54 record for the Tigers dating back to 1999. His best seasons were in 2009 when he went 6-1 with a 3.27 ERA and in 2007 when he went 9-3 with a 3.30 ERA. In 2008 Hofmann made 16 appearances and recorded 8-7 record with a 2.94 ERA.
The Belle Plaine Tigers lost 7-5 to the Leavenworth Orioles in the first round of the state tournament at St. Cloud’s Faber Field on Sunday, and their season is complete at 20-14 (7-7 RVL).
Make sure to follow the only other RVL 'C’ team remaining in the State Tournament as the Jordan Brewers play Saturday at Faber Field. (Chanhassen lost 2-1 to Blue Earth on Saturday.) Also, don’t forget to follow the Tigers on Twitter and at www.bptigertown.com for offseason updates.
The Tiger team would like to thank all of the fans who came out and supported them this past season, and hope to see you all at Tiger Park again next year!!
Leavenworth 7 vs. BP 5 @ St. Cloud GAME PICS 1 | GAME PICS 2
(Sun., Aug. 19 ~ Class ‘C’ State Tournament, 1st Round) Box Score
The Tigers were squared up with the Orioles from Region 2C, and got behind quickly after giving up three runs in the top of the first inning. Starter Ryan Diers had trouble figuring out the strike zone, which seemed to be smaller than a softball.
Tiger draftee Brad Walsh from Gaylord came in to try and figure out the zone, but it seemed like nobody in the ballpark except the man in blue knew how big or small the zone actually was. Walsh threw well for the Tigers, giving up four runs in his 6+ innings of relief. Tigertown sent a pitcher of their own out to the mound in the ninth, but it didn’t last long.
Shawn Larson only threw one pitch in the ninth before going down to the ground with a hamstring injury. Without any notice the Tigers turned to another draftee, this time Le Sueur’s John Schaffler. The crafty vet pitched well and didn’t allow a run in his inning of relief, giving the Tigers a chance to try and win the game in the bottom half of the ninth. The BP bats threatened – putting two men on – but could not score, and the ballgame was over.
Tiger hitting came from five of the nine hitters. Brad Lawson and Dylan Nyberg each posted a three-hit afternoon, with Zach Horning and Larson each adding a pair. Tiger catcher Pat Schultz was the only other Tiger who logged a hit on the day. Matt Schultz didn’t record a hit, but drove in a pair of runs. The Tigers managed to out-hit the Orioles and committed fewer errors, but the Orioles scored more runs and that’s all that counts.
2012 SEASON-IN-REVIEW
The Tiger season had a lot of ups and downs. Tigertown finished the season with a final record of 20-14, and they were an even 7-7 in league play. The longest winning streak was four games, which they accomplished twice during the year. The longest losing streak, on the other hand, was three when they lost to LeSueur, Chanhassen and Victoria in mid-July.
The Tigers played a fierce schedule, which included games against six Class ‘C’ state tournament teams (Jordan, Chanhassen, Waterville, Lamberton, Leavenworth, and Union Hill) and two Class ‘B’ state tournament teams (Chaska and Victoria.) The Tigers record against the ‘C’ teams was 3-8, with an 0-2 mark against the ‘B’ tourney teams. If my math is correct, that means that over one-third (13/34) of the Tiger games this year were against State Tournament teams.
The Tigers had a lot of highs, with five starters hitting over .300: Pat Schultz, Brad Lawson, Travis Latzke, Shawn Larson, and Ryan Diers. Veteran catcher Pat Schultz took home the team batting title, hitting a red-hot .381 in 97 total at-bats. Tiger leadoff hitter Travis Latzke led the team with 22 runs and 18 stolen bases. Clean-up hitter Dan Huber was the team leader in RBI with 24. Team Tigertown as a whole hit .283 this year, an improvement from last year’s .274 average.
Tiger pitching was once again on top of its game for most of the year, with four different pitchers making double-digit appearances: Larson, Lawson, Shane Hofmann, and Zac Dahlke. Lawson led the team in wins with six, and posted a career-low ERA at 1.93. Larson posted a near-perfect ERA (0.32) on the year, as he only gave up one earned run over 28 1/3 innings pitched. Veteran Shane Hofmann posted the most innings (73) and starts (11) for the Tigers this year. As a team, Tigertown posted an ERA slightly higher than last year, going from 2.85 to 2.90. However, the Tigers were without ace Adam Johnson (new team) and veteran Rob Wagener (injured), who accounted for 129 innings last year and posted a combined ERA under 1.00. So with that said, the increase in ERA seems more like a decrease due to the amount of pitching that was lost.
There are a couple of games/plays that come to mind for the highlight of the year. The biggest highlight of the year may be Jeff Miller’s go-ahead home run in the Tigertown Classic against the Marshall A’s. With the score tied in the top of the eighth (extra innings, per the tournament format), Miller hit a ball to deep right field, but most people in the stands didn’t know if he had it in him still to put it out of the park. It seemed like time stood still as the ball kept rising, and the crowd and dugout erupted as the ball went over the fence for a three-run homerun. Another highlight within the Tigertown Classic was that the Tigers took home the consolation championship. After losing to Union Hill (state tournament team), they went on to beat Class ‘B’ Marshall and a state tournament team in Lamberton.
Another highlight was beating St. Peter in a best-of-three series to clinch another state tournament berth. Although the state tourney didn’t last very long for BP, the experience was still great and allowed some Tiger players to play/see their first state tournament game at the town-ball level.
Here are a couple of interesting stats for you to think about from this past season: Josh Terrio got the Tigers first victory of the year on the mound, but didn’t pitch again the rest of the year; Jeff Miller played in one game all year and had one hit in that game, which was a three-run home run to beat Marshall.
The Belle Plaine Tigers earned the No. 2 seed in Region 6C as they won one and lost one in the seeding games this past week. The Tigers defeated the Chanhassen Redbirds 11-1 on Friday, but fell to the Jordan Brewers 7-3 in the championship on Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers will square off with the Leavenworth Orioles in the first round of the Class 'C' State Tournament in St. Cloud. Leavenworth received the four seed from Region 2C and will face the Tigers on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Joe Faber Field.
Remember to follow the Tigers on their website, www.bptigertown.com, as well as on Twitter, @bptigertown. Check out the website and twitter feed to see how the Tigers did at state and when the next upcoming game will be. If the Tigers beat Leavenworth on Sunday, they will play the following Sunday (Aug. 26) at 5:30 p.m. at Joe Faber Field.
If you would like to support the other two River Valley League 'C' teams at state, you can see Chanhassen on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. against either Blue Earth or Cannon Falls. But you will have to wait another week to see the Jordan Brewers as they received a first-round bye and won't play until Saturday, Aug. 25th at 11:00 a.m. at Joe Faber Field against the winner of Lastrup and the two seed out of Region 1.
Tigers 11 @ Chanhassen 1 (Friday, Aug. 10 – 7 innings) Box Score
The Tigers put runs on the board right away, as the first six batters got on base and five of those six scored. The Tigers scored five runs in the first inning and four in the second to put the game out of reach for the hometown Redbirds.
Shawn “Weird-Hot” Larson led the Tiger charge with a perfect 4-for-4 night, although according to @bphof21 the four hits totaled a distance of 230 feet. Larson looked like he was on the links with his pitching wedge landing the ball as close as he could to the right field line for his first two hits.
Brad Lawson took the bump for the Tigers and threw a complete game, giving up one run on six hits while walking three. The Tiger pitcher had plenty of run support and just needed to throw the ball over the plate, although at times that looked pretty hard for him.
![: Dan Huber (24) and Shawn Larson (22) were among a number of Tigers who were busy rounding bases and scoring runs during the first two innings of Belle Plaine’s 11-1 trouncing of Chanhassen Friday night in Chanhassen. The Tigers scored five runs in the first inning and four more in the second. [PHOTO COURTESY BELLE PLAINE HERALD]](8-10-12_BP_Chan.jpg)
Tigers 3 @ Jordan 7 (Saturday, Aug. 11 – Region 6C Championship) Box Score
The Tigers made the trip down 169 to the Mini Met for a chance at winning Region 6C and a first round bye in the State Tournament. However, the Tigers defense was not on the top of their game and gave up multiple unearned runs throughout the game.
Tiger pitcher Shane Hofmann did not receive the run support or the defense that Tiger starter Lawson received the game before. The Tigers committed a total of three errors.
Tiger hitting was not as hot as it was the previous game either, but the Tigers got hits when they needed them and closed the gap in the sixth inning to a one-run game. However, the following inning the Tiger defense allowed two runs and then the Brewers added another in the seventh to open the lead back up, to 7-3.
"Tigers Win!!!" and advance to the Class 'C' State Tournament for the third straight season and fifth time in the past six years. The Tigers swept the Saints of St. Peter in a best-of-three series to continue their season. The Tigers won the first game 11-2 in St. Peter on Thursday, and the clincher 5-1 in Belle Plaine last Friday night.
Team Tigertown will have at least one more game before the State Tournament, to determine the seeding heading into State. On Friday night BP will travel to Chanhassen to take on the Redbirds at 7:30 p.m. The winner of that game will take on the Jordan Brewers Saturday at 4 p.m. in Jordan for the right to an all-important first-round state tournament bye. The loser of the Friday night game will receive the No. 3 seed from Region 6C going into the tourney, whereas Saturday's loser will be the No. 2 seed.
Check out the Tiger website at www.bptigertown.com for updates on the Tiger run at State and to see which seed they receive this upcoming weekend. If the Tigers get the #1 seed they will not play until Saturday, Aug. 25th at 11:00 a.m. If the Tigers get the #2 seed they will play on Saturday, Aug. 18th at 11:00 a.m. If the Tigers get the #3 seed they will play on Sunday, Aug. 19th at 1:00 p.m. The State Tournament will be held in St. Cloud this year at Dick Putz and Faber Fields.
Tigers 11 @ St. Peter 2 (Region 6C Game 1 – Thursday, Aug. 2) Box Score
16 NEW GAME PICS!
The Tigers and Saints started the game on Wednesday evening, but finished the game on Thursday night. The two teams played three-plus innings Wednesday before lightning postponed the game to the following night.
When Tigertown came back on Thursday night they were down 1-0, with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth and Miah Fogarty at the plate. While Fogarty struck out, the Tigers scored in every inning after that and cruised to an 11-2 Game One victory.
The Tigers started Brad Lawson on Wednesday, but switched pitchers the following night and threw Shawn Larson at the Saints. Lawson gave up one run on one hit, one walk and one strikeout. Larson was on the top of his game, going four innings with six strikeouts and three hits allowed. Zac Dahlke came in to finish the game and gave up a run on three hits and a walk.
Tiger bats were red hot, and were led by Lawson who had a career-high five hits. Larson added three hits of his own and Travis Latzke and Dylan Nyberg contributed two hits apiece. Dan Huber knocked out his first home run of the year as he deposited a ball to deep left-center field.
St. Peter 1 @ Tigers 5 (Region 6C Game 2 – Friday, Aug. 3) Box Score
31 NEW GAME PICS!
The Tigers had their first chance to secure a spot in the State Tourney, and didn’t waste any time punching their ticket.
Tigertown sent young lefty Ryan Diers to the mound and he looked great. Diers struck out a career-high sixteen batters, allowing only one run on five hits in a complete-game gem. The only problem Diers faced was his control issues at times, when he hit four Saints batters.
The Tiger bats were hot once again, tallying ten hits. Travis Latzke led the Tigers with three knocks, followed by Larson and Matt Schultz who added two hits apiece. The Tiger defense was stellar once again, and did not commit an error.
Team Tigertown won two of three last week to advance to the Region 6C playoffs, sandwiching a pair of wins over Henderson (5-2 and 7-1) between a hard-fought, 5-4 loss at No. 1 seeded Jordan. The Brewers are RVL-Central champions thanks to a 4-3 win over Chanhassen, while the season is over for Henderson and Le Sueur, the latter of which went 9-5 in league play this season.
Belle Plaine improved to their record to 17-12 (7-7 RVL regular season) on the year.
Tigertown opens a best-of-three series tonight (Wednesday, Aug. 1) at the No. 1 seed from the RVL-West, St. Peter, at 7:30 pm. The Saints will visit Tiger Park at 7:30 pm Friday and if necessary, a third game will be played at 6:00 pm Sunday in St. Peter. The winner of this series is headed to the Class 'C' State Tournament in St. Cloud.
Seeding games for Region 6C will take place next weekend among the other winners between Gaylord (RVL-West No. 2) and Chanhassen (RVL-Central No. 2) and Jordan (RVL-Central No. 1) and Winthrop (RVL-West No. 3). REGION 6C PREVIEW
Come on out and support your local Tigers, and remember to follow them on Twitter or check the website www.bptigertown.com for updates.
Henderson 2 @ BP Tigers 5 (RVL-Central playoffs – Tuesday, July 24) Box Score
Team Tigertown defeated Henderson in the opening game of the RVL Central playoffs, 5-2, behind hot bats for one inning. Tiger bats were pretty quiet for most of the night, but came alive in the bottom of the eighth when six straight Tiger hitters reached base safely. The Tigers two-through-seven hitters all garnered a hit and combined to score four runs. Entering the 8th, the Tigers were down 2-1.
Tiger hurler Brad Lawson threw the first six innings before giving the ball off to relief pitcher Shawn Larson. Lawson didn’t have the best command on the night and walked five batters, but limited Henderson to only two runs. Larson came in and had great command, striking out six batters in three innings without allowing a hit. Larson received the win for the home squad, improving his season record to 2-0.
Tigers 4 @ Jordan 5 (RVL-Central playoffs – Thursday, July 26) Box Score
The Tigers hit the road to take on the top-seeded Jordan Brewers, who went 14-0 in league play during the regular season. The Tiger bats still seemed to be hot early in the game, carrying over from Tuesday night's eighth-inning outburst. The Tigers scored two runs in the top of the first inning on a double by Pat Schultz, followed by a long single for Brad Lawson before Shawn Larson came up with an RBI single of his own.
However the Tigers gave those two runs right back to Jordan in the bottom of the first, which made the score even again after one frame. Both teams' bats seemed to be quiet again for a spell, until Tiger slugger Dylan Nyberg crushed his second home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning. The home run put the Tigers back on top 4-2, but as you can see above Team Tigertown was not able to score any more runs and gave up three more to lose the game.
The Tigers threw young lefty Ryan Diers out on the mound, and he looked very good for six innings, but seemed to just run out of gas in the seventh. Diers was fooling Brewer hitters left and right, striking out seven batters and getting outs when he needed too. Shawn Larson and Zac ‘Smiley’ Dahlke came in to finish the game of for BP. Neither relief pitcher gave up a run, but did allow a couple of runners and threats for runs.
Henderson 1 @ BP Tigers 7 (RVL-Central playoffs – Saturday, July 28) Box Score
It was a do-or-die game for both sets of Tigers. The winner would advance to the Regions, while the loser would go home and wait until next spring. The hometown Tigers must have wanted to keep playing more than the visiting Tigers, because they came out victorious again for the second time in less than a week over Henderson.
Tiger hitting was once again quiet to start, but didn’t take long to warm up as the Tigers scored two in the second and four in the third to take an early 6-1 lead.
All nine Tiger sluggers logged a hit on the night, and five of the nine recorded multiple hits: Brad Lawson, Dan Huber, Shawn Larson, Matt Schultz and Miah Fogarty. Fogarty and Schultz also led the team in RBI with two apiece.
Tiger veteran pitcher Shane Hofmann was sent onto the bump in the do-or-die game. Hofmann responded well giving up only one run while scattering eleven hits. Hofmann did not walk a batter or hit a batter on the night, and struck out four Tiger hitters. Dan ‘Mr. Closer’ Huber came in in the ninth and threw a perfect inning while striking out two.
The Tigers played defense this week and won games … who would have known that if you play defense, you win games? BP (15-11, 7-7) won all three games this week while outscoring their opponents 29-3, and opened the RVL-Central playoffs last night by hosting the Henderson Tigers. Check out www.bptigertown.com for the latest update.
Team Tigertown plays next on Thursday or Friday. If the Tigers beat Henderson on Tuesday, they will play at No. 1-seed Jordan Thursday; if they lost, they will play in LeSueur or Chanhassen in an elimination game Friday night. See the accompanying bracket for the rest of the possible scenarios.
The final regular-season standings in the RVL-Central are Jordan 14-0, Chanhassen 10-4, Le Sueur 9-5, Belle Plaine 7-7, Henderson 4-10. In the RVL-West, it was St. Peter 10-5, Fairfax 8-7, Gaylord 7-8, Arlington 6-9, Winthrop 3-12, New Ulm 2-13.
Just a reminder the Tiger regular season is now over, and the playoffs have now begun. Get the latest updates via the team website or by following the Tigers on Twitter at @bptigertown. Thank you to all the fans that supported the Tigers this regular season, and hope to see you all at the upcoming playoff games.
Cologne 0 @ Tigers 14 – Tuesday, July 17 (7 innings) Box Score
Team Tigertown took the weekend off due to BBQ days and cleared their minds to think about winning and playoffs. Well, the weekend off turned out to be a great idea, and the Tiger sticks came alive, including their gloves.
Tiger starter Brad Lawson carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before the Hollanders four-hitter hit a single in-between the shortstop and third baseman. Lawson threw the first six innings yielding one hit while striking out five, and then Dan Huber came in to close the game out, giving up one hit in a scoreless inning of relief.
The Tigers roped eleven hits on the night, with Tiger catcher Pat Schultz leading the way with three. Travis Latzke and Dylan Nyberg each logged two hits apiece. Schultz also led the team in RBI, driving in four guys on the night.
St. Peter 2 @ Tigers 4 – Friday, July 20 Box Score
The Tigers played in the most heated and upbeat game of the year on Friday night at Tiger Park. It was Fan Appreciation Night, and the Tigers gave the home crowd a great playoff-like atmosphere.
Shane Hofmann toed the rubber for the Tigers and threw possibly his best game of the year. Hofmann tossed a complete game for Tigertown and secured a home playoff game on Tuesday. Ace gave up two runs on eight hits while striking out three Saints. Hofmann was able to raise his season record to 4-2, while lowering his ERA to an even 3.00.
Tyler Hartman was the only Tiger to log a multiple-hit game, while Tiger shortstop Lawson was able to reach base every plate appearance. Tiger defense was on the top of their game this hot evening, turning three double plays and only committing one error.
Arlington 1 @ Tigers 11 – Sun, July 22 (8 innings) Box Score | 42 NEW GAME PICS!
The Tigers ended the regular season on a high note, ten-running the A’s of Arlington in eight innings. Belle Plaine's defense was great once again, and the sticks were just as hot from the previous two games.
Zac “Smiley” Dahlke was on the top of his game this hot summer evening, but if you ask him he would have rather pitched in the April snowy weather. Dahlke threw the first seven innings, giving up only one run while striking out a season-high seven A’s batters. Dan “Mr. Closer” Huber came in to throw the final inning striking out two batters, while scattering two hits.
The Tiger 1-3 hitters (Travis Latzke, Pat Schultz, and Lawson) scored eight of the eleven runs. Lawson and Huber were the only Tiger hitters with multiple-hit games, each logging two hits apiece. Sam “New Guy” Korth was able to get his first hit as a Tiger, and received an RBI on the same play! Welcome to Tigertown Sam!!
The Tigers had a tough week, losing a pair of road games. First was a setback to the No. 3-ranked team in Class 'B', Mike Poppitz's Victoria Vics, last Tuesday. Chanhassen dropped the Tigers for the second time this season on Thursday night.
BP hosted Cologne last evening; check www.bptigertown.com or the team Twitter account for an update. The Roaring Tigros' record is 12-11 overall, 5-7 in the River Valley League.
The Tigers will wrap up the regular season this weekend as they host St. Peter and Arlington on Friday and Sunday night, respectively. Friday will be a 7:30 pm first pitch and Fan Appreciation Night at Tiger Park – look for the usual giveaways, including 2013 season tickets – while Sunday night will start at 6:00 pm.
THE TIGERS WILL OPEN THE PLAYOFFS on Tuesday, July 24 at 7:30 pm against Henderson, but the game's location is yet to be determined as the two squads are still vying for the #4 seed in the RVL-Central division. The higher seed is home team throughout the league playoffs.
Undefeated Jordan will be the No. 1 seed, while Le Sueur and Chanhassen are going toe-to-toe for the No. 2 seed.
A full playoff bracket is currently available online, and should appear in next week's Herald.
BP Tigers 4 @ Victoria 7 – Tuesday, July 10 Box Score
Zac Dahlke took the ball for the Tigers and tried to keep the Vics off balance enough to get the win. However, the third-ranked team in Class B got to Dahlke in the first for two runs, and then later combined for three more runs in the fourth and sixth innings to take a 5-4 lead. Mike Schultz came in to finish the game for the Tigers, throwing the final two innings. Schultz gave up two runs on two hits and walked one batter.
Team Tigertown collected eight hits on the night with Dan Huber, Ryan Diers, and Zach Horning all tallying two hits apiece. Diers also led the Tigers in RBI by driving home two of BP's three runs.
BP Tigers 4 @ Chanhassen 9 – Thursday, July 12 Box Score
Veteran Shane Hofmann toed the rubber for the Tigers, unsuccessfully trying to get the team back on a winning track. Hofmann threw six innings and gave up nine runs (six earned) on seven hits and five walks. Hofmann gave up three runs in the first, but had to watch the Tigers boot the ball around to give the Redbirds the runs.
Shawn Larson came in to complete the final two frames, not giving up any runs while striking out two batters. Larson had his curveball working and fooled a Redbird batter who didn’t see the curveball coming at all, and tried to get out of the way of a pitch right down the middle of the plate.
The Tiger defense has been very under-par to this point in the season, and it didn’t change in Chanhassen. The Tigers only committed two errors on the night, but both errors were big and led to five Redbird runs. Take those five runs away and my BPHS math says the Tigers would have been playing some free baseball.
The only highlight of the night for the Tigers at the plate was Dylan Nyberg’s mammoth home run in the top of the ninth. The ball Nyberg hit may have landed in the Minnetonka, but I am sure if you ask him he would say it landed in Duluth.
by Brett Kruschke, Shane Hofmann and Pat Schultz (in that order)
Team Tigertown stayed active over the holiday weekend, sending two reps to an All-Star game while splitting a pair of weekend contests. With less than two weeks until playoffs begin, BP is 12-9 overall, 5-6 in league play.
The DRS-RVL All-Star Game was played in Chaska on Thursday and went to the RVL by a 4-1 count, the league's fourth consecutive triumph in the sixth annual matchup. Travis Latzke started in center field for the RVL and went 0-for-1 with a walk, while Brad Lawson went 0-for-1 at the plate and tossed a dicey – but scoreless – eighth inning to nab a hold. The RVL also took the pre-game Home Run Derby, winning 7-5 thanks to five clouts from Chaska's Kyle Geason.
On Friday BP had a reservation with the Waterville Indians and came away 8-1 winners, but stumbled in a 5-3 loss to Le Sueur on Sunday, giving the Braves the season series sweep (they also beat the Tigers 10-0 on June 29).
El Tigre traveled to Victoria last night after this edition of the Herald went to press; check any of the usual online outlets for the results. On Thursday the Tiger Train will stop in Chanhassen for a 7:30 pm tilt, a makeup game from June 17.
After mingling with the commoners of Tigertown this weekend at Bar-B-Q Days, our fabled warriors will be back in action Tuesday at 7:30 pm, hosting Cologne on Community Rec Night. Come on out to the park and find out what it means!
Waterville 1 @ BP 8 – Friday, July 6 Box Score
Waterville came to Tigertown for a Friday evening tilt on RTL Construction Night. RTL gave everyone in attendance a beverage, hot dog and chips. We’d like to thank RTL for their continued support of Belle Plaine Baseball.
After a two week rest, Shane Hofmann was back on the bump for the Tigers. He was rusty early on, leaving the bases loaded in the first two innings, but escaped with no damage done. The Tigers got on the board in the 3rd inning when Miah Fogarty reached base on an error, stole 2nd and was driven home by the red-hot Ryan Diers.
Waterville answered back in the top of the 6th and tied the game on a two-out double. That was the only scoring by the visitors, as Hofmann settled down after a rough start. Hofmann went seven strong, scattering six hits while striking out a season-high 10 batters. Trevor Latzke relieved Hofmann and finished the last two frames, giving up only one hit.
Belle Plaine would break open the tight ballgame with a five-spot in the bottom half of the 6th. As Dog would say, “we gotta get that run back now!” Brad Lawson and Diers started the inning with back-to-back doubles, followed by Pat Schultz and Shawn Larson singles to put up five runs.
El Tigre tacked on two more in the 8th, highlighted by a Fogarty double and singles from Pat Schultz and Trevor Latzke.
Diers led the offense with a 3-for-4 night, including a double and two RBI. Fogarty, Lawson, Pat Schultz and Larson all had multi-hit nights, with Fogarty and Pat Schultz driving in runs. Hofmann improved his record on the hill to 3-1.
Le Sueur 5 @ BP 3 – Sunday, July 8 Box Score
Sunday night had LeSueur and former Tiger Mike Milam come to town for what was coincidently Senior Citizen night at Tiger Park. The crowd was entertained by the musical stylings of Ernie Stumpf on his polka music-making machine.
Ryan Diers got the start on the mound for the Tigers and was very sharp in seven of the eight innings he pitched. Le Sueur was able to capitalize in the second on a combination of three hits, two walks and an error, and scored four runs before the Tigers were able to get the third out.
The Tigers kept battling back and had several chances for big innings but couldn’t come through with the big hit. They loaded the bases with one out in the 8th but the Braves caught a break when a hard line drive by Dylan Nyberg was snagged by the first baseman, and he was able to double-off the Tiger runner to end the threat. The Tigers had two more base runners on in the ninth, but a strikeout ended it and gave Le Sueur the season sweep.
Travis Latzke led the Tigers with three hits, two runs and two stolen bases. Diers gave up five runs (three earned) over eight innings, allowing five hits and five walks with 11 strikeouts.
Team Tigertown had a week of ups and downs. The Tigers finished the week 1-3 with losses to Shakopee, Le Sueur and Chanhassen, and a lone win against Henderson. The Tigers did not have the best month of June either, posting a 5-4 record.
This coming week is full of promotions and excitement at Tiger Park. Friday night will be RTL Construction night as the Tigers take on Waterville. Every paid attendance will receive a free hot dog, chips and pop courtesy of RTL Construction and Tiger Shawn Larson. Sunday will be Senior Citizens Night, as all senior citizens will receive free admission. It will also be a great time as Ernie Stumpf will be playing music between innings.
A couple dates to mark down on your calendars for upcoming promotions are Community Rec Night on Tuesday July 17th and Fan Appreciation Night on Friday July 20th.
Don’t forget to come out and cheer on Tiger all-stars Travis Latzke and Brad Lawson this Thursday evening in Chaska. The River Valley League will take on the Dakota-Rice-Scott League on Thursday at 7 p.m. There will also be a home run derby starting at 6:30 p.m. The RVL has won the last three games, and looks to continue their winning streak so come out and support your Tigers and other RVL all-stars.
Remember to check out the website, www.bptigertown.com, for the latest updates and stats. Also check out the Tigers on Facebook and Twitter for the latest posts and tweets.
BP Tigers 1 @ Shakopee Indians 3 – June 26 Box Score
It is not very often that a team can out-hit their opponent and not give up an earned run, yet still lose the game. Well the Tigers found a way to do that in their game against the Indians. Team Tigertown out-hit the Indians eight to five, but committed five errors which led to all three of Shakopee's runs being unearned.
Zac Dahlke started on the bump for the Tigers and threw five solid innings, giving up three runs on three hits, a walk and three hit batters. Jake Scherer threw shutout ball over the final three innings.
The Tiger bats were very hot without runners on base, but seemed to be ice cold with runners on base and in scoring position. The Tigers left ten runners on base, including two occasions when they left the bases loaded to end the inning. Travis Latzke and Pat Schultz led the way for BP, each logging two hits apiece. Tiger rookie Andy Lehman was the only Tiger to drive in a run on the night when he knocked in Schultz on a base hit in the eighth.
BP Tigers 0 @ Le Sueur Braves 10 (7 innings) – June 29 Box Score
There were not a whole lot of positives to take away from this game played in Le Sueur on Friday night. The Tigers only managed to get four hits, and committed three errors which led to five unearned runs in one inning.
Tiger starter Brad Lawson was looking to get his fifth win of the season, but gave up three runs in the first inning on four hits. Lawson threw the first four innings giving up eight runs – three of which were earned – on eight hits, while striking out five. Lawson handed the ball off to Dan Huber in the fifth, and Huber threw the final two-plus innings in relief before the ten-run rule kicked into effect.
One of the few positives in the game was Tiger slugger Ryan Diers. He was able to log two doubles on the night, but was unable to get around to score. Travis Latzke and Johnny Egan were the other two Tigers to get base hits on the night.
BP Tigers 17 @ Henderson Tigers 0 (7 innings) – June 30 Box Score
Baseball seems to be a funny game at times, and teams can look like night and day from game to game. Well if you went to Le Sueur to watch the Tigers on Friday night, you may not have believed what you saw the next day when they traveled to Henderson. Friday night the Tigers were ten-runned by Le Sueur, and Saturday afternoon the Tigers ten-runned the Henderson Tigers.
The Tiger bats and pitching were on fire in the scorching heat on Saturday afternoon. Tiger pitcher Ryan Diers threw a complete game, two-hit shutout, while striking out a season-high 14 batters. Diers was on the top of his game in the heat and the Henderson batters were unable to figure him out.
Diers was also hot at the plate, hitting a mammoth home run that still may not have come down. The ball Diers hit may have needed a flight attendant on it to travel as far as it did. The Tigers batted around in the fifth inning and every single Tiger in the lineup scored. Leadoff hitter Travis Latzke continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-6. Pat Schultz and Matt Schultz also logged three hits on the afternoon.
Chanhassen Redbirds 5 @ BP Tigers 4 – July 1 Box Score
The Tigers dropped a close one to the Redbirds at home on Sunday night, and left the bases loaded to end the game. Errors again hurt the Tigers as they gave up two unearned runs which ended up being crucial, with the final score being 5-4.
Zac Dahlke started on the hill for the Tigers and threw the first five-plus innings before giving the ball off to Shawn Larson. Dahlke was credited with the loss on the night and gave up all the runs to the Redbirds.
The Tiger offense was once again quiet, with only one player having a multiple-hit night. That Tiger was catcher Pat Schultz, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
The Tigers had an up-and-down week this past week, winning one game and losing two. The Tigers lost to the other Tiger crew (Henderson) and Jordan, but got back onto the winning track Sunday night when they beat New Ulm, 12-3.
This week will be a very busy week for Team Tigertown. BP played in Shakopee last night after the Herald went into press. This coming weekend, the Tigers will play three games in three days: Friday night 7:30 pm at Le Sueur, Saturday 1:00 pm in Henderson, and Sunday the Tigers a 6:00 pm home game against Chanhassen.
Remember to check out the website www.bptigertown.com for the latest updates and stats. Also check out the Tigers on Facebook and Twitter for the latest posts and tweets.
Mark down on your calendars for Thursday, July 5th for the RVL-DRS All-Star game in Chaska. The Tigers hope to send a couple of players to the game; check next week’s article to see who was selected.
The June 17 rainout at Chanhassen has been rescheduled for Thursday, July 17, 7:30 pm at Chan.
Henderson Tigers 5 @ BP Tigers 3 – June 19 (22 NEW PICS!) Box Score
It was a battle of the Tigers in a River Valley League game at Tiger Park. The better Tiger team on the night unfortunately was the visiting team from Henderson. Henderson beat the town Tigers 5-3 on an error in the top of the 9th.
Shane Hofmann threw the first seven innings and left the game with the scored knotted up at three. Zac ‘Smiley’ Dahlke finished off the game for Belle Plaine and received the loss without giving up an earned run on the night.
Travis Latzke and Dan Huber led the Tigertown Express with three hits apiece. Latzke also received credit for the only RBI on the night for Belle Plaine. The other two runs were scored on wild pitches.
BP Tigers 2 @ Jordan Brewers 7 – June 22 Box Score
The Tigers took a nice little drive down 169 to neighboring town Jordan to take on the Brewers. The Brewer/Tiger rivalry has been re-established now that the Brewers have been reclassified into Class C after being in Class B for many years.
Brad Lawson took the mound for the Tigers, throwing the first six innings and receiving the loss. Lawson gave up six runs – three of which were earned – while giving up six hits. Dan Huber came in for his season debut on the mound to finish off the game, and looked impressive. Rumor has it ‘according to Huber’ that he can be the Tiger closer for the remainder of the year. Watch out Capps…
Lawson led the Tiger hitting on the night going 4-for-4 with one of the two RBI on the night. Zac Dahlke came in to pinch hit for the Tigers in the ninth and got other RBI on a ‘should I go, or shouldn’t I go’ double.
New Ulm Kaiserhoff 3 @ BP Tigers 12 – June 24 (18 NEW PICS!) Box Score
The Tiger bats finally came alive in the 15th game of the year, tallying 18 hits and scored 12 runs on the night.
Shawn ‘Poptart’ Larson toed the rubber fresh off a trip to watch the Twins out East. Larson looked great, going seven innings giving up three runs, only one of which was earned. Larson gave the ball off to Zac Dahlke in the eighth, who came in and closed the door in the final two innings. Watch out Huber, Dahlke may be challenging you for the closer role.
Travis Latzke led the hitting parade again, going 5-for-6 and was a home run shy of the cycle. Brad Lawson logged three hits for the Tigers, and Pat Schultz and Dylan Nyberg each got two hits on the night.
The Tigers went yet another week without playing a game. This past Tuesday, the Mankato Kubs had to cancel due to a lack of pitching (something the Tigers never seem to have a problem with – don't believe me, ask former player Brett Kruschke) and a conglomeration of league games. On Sunday the Tigers were rained out when hoping to play the Chanhassen Redbirds. The Redbirds game will be made up later in the season, but the Kubs game will not.
The Tigers have a very busy week this coming week, playing three league games and one non-leaguer. On Tuesday the Tigers will face another Tiger team in the Henderson Tigers, here in town at Tiger Park at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night will also be Little League Night, meaning all Little Leaguers will receive a free hot dog when showing up at the game with their jersey on.
Come Friday, the Tigers will head down 169 to Jordan to face the Brewers at 7:30 p.m. The Brewers beat the Tigers earlier this year 10-0 in Belle Plaine. On Sunday the Tigers will play host to New Ulm for a 6 p.m. start time to round off the three league games in six days.
Next Tuesday the Tigers will travel a little further down 169 and play the Shakopee Indians. Even though the Indians are part of the River Valley League, the game will not count in the standings and will be classified as a non-league game.
Remember to check out bptigertown.com for the latest updates to the schedule and other promotional nights at Tiger Park. Also check out the Tigers on Facebook and Twitter.
The Tigers’ Jeff Miller is congratulated by teammates after his three-run home run in the top of the eighth-inning was the difference-maker in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Marshall. (Photo Courtesy of Belle Plaine Herald)
Team Tigertown finished the weekend 2-1, winning the Tigertown Classic Consolation Championship 6-3 over the Lamberton Black Sox. The Tigers lost the opening round game on Friday night to Union Hill, 6-0, then bounced back on Saturday to beat Marshall, 5-2, behind some late-inning heroics from manager Jeff Miller.
The Blue Earth Pirates claimed the 2012 title – their third Tigertown Classic championship (2005, 2008) – by beating Freeport 6-5 in 9 innings. For the rest of the scores and results, check the bracket at bptigertown.com.
Next up for the Tigers is a Sunday night affair at Chanhassen, 6:00 pm first pitch. Last night's scheduled home game against the Mankato Kubs was cancelled due to the visitors citing a lack of available pitching, surrounded by league games. The game will not be rescheduled, although "Little League Night #1" may be. "Little League Night #2" will be Tuesday, June 19 against Henderson. Each little league player receives a free hot dog when they wear their jersey to the park.
Union Hill Bulldogs 6 @ BP Tigers 0 (June 8) Box Score
The Tigers took on the Union Hill Bulldogs on the opening night of the Tigertown Classic Tournament. Ryan Diers took the mound for the Tigers but only lasted two innings, giving up two runs on two hits with four free passes. Shawn Larson came in to finish off the final five innings giving up four runs (three earned), while striking out eight Bulldogs.
Tiger hitting was once again quiet with Larson leading the way with two hits. Diers was the only other Tiger to record a hit on the night.
Belle Plaine pitcher Shane Hofmann fielded the ball and tossed to first base during Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Marshall in the Tigertown Classic. Also pictured is catcher Pat Schultz. (Photo Courtesy of Belle Plaine Herald)
Marshall A’s 2 @ BP Tigers 5 (June 9) Box Score
Shane Hofmann took the hill for the Tigers in the loser's bracket of the Tigertown Classic. Hofmann threw the first 6+ innings before handing the ball off to Brad Lawson. Lawson came in and got the next batter to bunt into a double play and received the win after Jeff Miller’s 3-run bomb in the top of the eighth (BP was the visiting team on the scoreboard, per a coin flip).
Pat Schultz logged three hits on the night and Tim Huber contributed two in his return back to the Tigers for the weekend.
Lamberton 3 @ BP Tigers 6 (June 10) Box Score
The Tigers sent Zac Dahlke to the mound in the consolation championship game against the Lamberton Black Sox. Dahlke cruised through six innings but the Black Sox scored three in the bottom of the 7th to make the game seem a little closer than it really was. Dahlke surrendered three runs on eight hits, three walks, and struck out four batters.
Pat Schultz led the Tigers hitting parade logging three singles. Diers and Dan Huber each had two hits, with Diers' hits being a triple and a double.
The Tigers finished the week 3-0 defeating Gaylord, New Munich and Fairfax. The town team will be off until this Friday when they host the Tigertown Classic. Friday night will consist of two games: the 6:30 pm game will be between Freeport and Marshall, with the nightcap (approximately 8:30 pm) being Belle Plaine against Union Hill.
Le Sueur and Upsala will square off at 10:30 am Saturday, with Blue Earth and Lamberton joining the fray at 12:45 pm. See the accompanying bracket for the rest of the weekend's potential matchups, and follow the team on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
The Tigers not only played baseball this week, but the annual Tiger Open was held out at Valley View Golf Course this past Saturday. Team Gloege won the event shooting nine under par; however, Team Olson had to have gotten the best dressed award for the day/event.
BP Tigers 3 at Gaylord 0 (May 29) Box Score
Tiger pitchers Brad Lawson and Shawn Larson combined to throw the second shutout of the year for the Tigers. Lawson threw the first 7 1/3 and Larson came in to save the game. Lawson improved his record on the bump to 3-0 on the year and Larson received his second save on the year (all of which have come at Walsh Field in Gaylord).
The Tiger offense was quiet was again, as the visitors were held to five hits. Of the five hits for the Tigers, only one was recorded in the first six innings. I guess pitching and defense can carry the team, at least for a little while.
New Munich 5 at BP Tigers 6 (June 1) Box Score
The Tigers sent Ryan Diers out to the mound for his first start of the year. Diers threw well, but was not credited with the win on the night. Diers threw the first five innings of the game, striking out ten and giving up two runs. Diers left the game tied at two and gave the ball over to newcomer Zach Horning.
This was Horning’s first time toeing the rubber for the Tigers and his first time in over a year. Even with that he picked up the win for the Tigers and threw three great relief innings. Horning left the game after the eighth inning and handed the ball to Jake “Cappsized” Scherer. With the score being 6-3 Capps…I mean Scherer had plenty of breathing room to work with, however, Scherer gave up two quick runs before getting the first out. The Tigers were looking right into the first blown save of the young year, but with a runner on third and no outs the Tigers jumped on Scherer’s back and closed out the game, winning 6-5.
The Tiger Train was led by Dan Huber who drilled a triple off the wall in left-center in the 7th inning. Dylan Nyberg and Horning each logged two runs apiece for the Tigers
BP Tigers 5 at Fairfax 2 (June 3) Box Score
Tiger veteran pitcher Shane Hofmann was sent to the mound for the Tigers as they took the nice long drive to Fairfax for an unusual 6 p.m.start time on Sunday. The Tiger pitcher went eight innings giving up two runs (one earned), struck out six and improved his record to 2-1. Zac “Smiley” Dahlke came in for the Tigers to get the third straight save and cap off a good week for the Tigers. Dahlke ended up striking out three batters and walked one, showing signs of Craig Kimbrel-like closing material for the Tigers.
The Tiger offense was once again quiet, but Travis Latzke, Miah Fogarty and Dan Huber started the game off with three straight singles which led to two runs in the first.
The Tigers didn’t score again until the fifth inning when Latzke was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on two throwing errors by the Cardinals. Fairfax was afraid of Latzke's speed and threw a ball into centerfield while trying to pick him off, and then on the same play overthrew third trying to retire the speedster. Latzke stole three bases in the game and has now swiped ten bases on the year.
Casey Gloege, Jon Beberg, Kirk Gloege, JoJo Hartman -- 2012 Tiger Open Champs!
Tiger rookie -- and Tough Mudder --
Sam Korth encapsulates the last week of Tiger baseball
The Tigers dropped their only game of the week to newly class ‘C’ team; the Jordan Brewers. The Tigers also played last night in Gaylord, which was a make-up date from a previous game earlier in the year.
The town tigers will play host to New Munich on Friday night, which will also be Dollar Beer Night at Tiger Park. On Saturday the Tigers will hold their annual Tiger Open out at Valley View Golf Course, and don’t be afraid to come out and sign up the day of, there is still plenty of room to sign up. Sunday team tigertown will head to Fairfax for a 6 p.m. first pitch with the Cardinals.
Jordan 10 Belle Plaine 0 Box Score
Belle Plaine lost to Jordan 10-0 in 7 innings due to the ten run rule. Tiger starter Shane Hofmann didn’t get much help defensively as the Tigers committed three errors on the night. Hofmann only gave up three earned runs over three innings. Ryan Diers came in to finish the final four innings surrendering only one run on one hit while striking out seven.
The Tigers were led offensively by Travis Latzke, Dan Huber, Diers, and Tyler Hartman who all logged a hit a piece.
The Tigers finished the week 2-1. They suffered a tough loss to the Chaska Cubs last Wednesday by a score of 12-1. However, they did bounce back this past weekend up in Freeport at the Black Sox Tournament. The Tigers defeated both teams they faced in Freeport, beating the Opole Bears 2-0 and Spring Hill Chargers 3-1. The Championship game was cancelled due to poor weather and will not be made up.
Tiger Park will be holding another promotional night this Friday night against the Jordan Brewers. Friday night will be Pulled Pork Sandwich night, with the first pitch being thrown at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday the Tigers will hit the road and travel to Henderson to take on another Tiger Squad at 2:00 p.m. On Tuesday, the Tigers will head to Gaylord for a 7:30 pm affair that was rescheduled after a May 6 rainout.
Don’t forget to follow the Tigers on Twitter and Facebook. Also look for updated stats and box scores on the Tiger website www.bptigertown.com. Remember to sign up for the 2012 Tiger Open on June 2nd at 1 p.m.
Chaska 12 BP Tigers 1 Box Score
The Chaska Cubs came stomping into Tiger Park and it didn’t take long for them to get onto the scoreboard. The Cubs scored five and six runs in the third and fourth innings respectively to jump out to an early lead. Jake Scherer suffered the loss for the Tigers throwing the first 3+ innings, with Zac Dahlke throwing the final 3+ innings.
The Tiger bats were breaking more often than they were getting hits on the night, which is never a good situation to have. Poptart Larson led the Tigers in the hit parade with two including an RBI double in the fifth inning. Ryan Diers and Miah Fogarty logged their first hits of the year.
BP Tigers 2 Opole Bears 0 Box Score
Tiger pitcher Shane Hofmann threw a gem, not allowing any runs in the seven inning contest. Hofmann gave up five hits and struck out five in his seven innings of work. The Tiger defense was great behind Hofmann, turning two double plays and not committing any errors.
Tiger bats still seemed to be asleep for the first five innings, but in the bottom of the sixth Travis Latzke and Shawn Larson started the inning off with back to back singles. After Larson stole second base, tiger newcomer Zach Horning hit a two RBI single which was all the Tigers needed on the day.
BP Tigers 3 Spring Hill 1 Box Score
The Tigers got yet another great pitching outing from their starter Brad Lawson. Lawson gave up one run in the complete game outing. Lawson gave up four hits, walked four and struck out 7 on the day. Lawson was also able to hold the Spring Hill hitters hitless for the final four innings of the game.
The Tigers got on the board early thanks to an error by the Spring Hill starting pitcher to lead off the game. Lead-off hitter Travis Latzke laid down a bunt that the pitcher failed to field. After stealing second and advancing to third on the throwing error by the catcher, Dan Huber hit a sac fly to left field to score him.
For the second game in a row the Tigers scored two runs in the sixth inning. Ryan Diers led the inning off with a double to left center. After Horning laid down a sacrifice bunt, Jim Buesgens hit a line drive to centerfield to score Diers. Tiger youngster Andy Lehman pinch ran for the elder Buesgens and scored later in the inning on a single by Latzke.
The town Tigers traveled to nearby Green Isle to take on the Irish; however Mother Nature thought different on the idea. The game was cancelled before it started and will not be made up due to it being a non-league game.
On May 29th the Tigers will travel to Gaylord to make up the game they lost due to rain last weekend. The first pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Gaylord, so mark it down on your calendars.
The Tigers will take on the Chaska Cubs Wednesday up at Tiger Park for a 7:30 first pitch, and will head to Freeport this coming weekend for the 5th Annual Black Sox Tournament. Belle Plaine will take on Opole Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in Freeport. Depending on if the Tigers win or lose they will play the winner/loser of Freeport and Spring Hill.
Don’t forget to sign up your teams or businesses for the 2012 Tiger Open on Saturday June 2 at 2 p.m. out at Valley View Golf Course.
Both of the Tigers games this past week were swept away due to the vast amount of rain over the weekend. Friday’s game against the Prior Lake Jays will not be made up, however, have no fear dollar beer night will be made up on Friday June 1st against New Munich. Sunday’s game against Gaylord on the other hand will be made up; however, the date has not been set yet. Check out www.bptigertown.com for the latest changes to the schedule, stats, and promotions. Or for those of you on Twitter don’t forget to follow @bptigertown for the latest updates.
The town Tigers will take on the Irish of Green Isle this coming Friday in Green Isle for a 7:30 first pitch. Then the following Wednesday the Tigers will play host to the Chaska Cubs. The Chaska game will be played as a non-league game even though the Cubs are in the River Valley League.
A friendly reminder that the 2012 Tiger Open is starting to sneak up. So start getting your teams together and contact a Tiger player with your four-some. If you have a business in town and would like to sponsor a hole contact a Tiger player with that as well. Each sponsorship costs $100, but includes a free entry into the Tiger Open, a meal afterwards, a sign at a hole, and your business announced at every Tiger home game.
I would like to make one change from last week’s article, and that is regarding the state tournament berths. I had previously stated that it depended on the attendance from the Regions at state; however, it was determined on the attendance while the teams were playing at the Regionals instead.
The town Tigers finished their first weekend of the season off on the right step winning both games they played. On Friday the Tigers took down America’s Team (St. Benedict) and on Sunday the Tigers traveled to Gaylord and beat Winthrop.
The Tigers will play again this weekend on Friday and Sunday. Just like the previous weekend they will play at home on Friday for a 7:30 P.M start against another RVL team, the Prior Lake Jays. However, this will not be counted as a league game, this year the RVL has decided to not schedule league games between the Class C teams and Class B teams. On Sunday the Tigers will head back to Gaylord, but this time they will take on the home team Gaylord Islanders for a 2 P.M. slate time.
In case you have not heard yet, Tiger Park is now on display at the wonderful Target Field. The next time you take in a Twins game don’t be afraid to take a little stroll over to Town Ball Tavern to check out the picture of Tiger Park amongst the many great ballparks here in the state of Minnesota.
America's Team 4 @ Belle Plaine 9 (Friday, April 27 - BOXSCORE)
Belle Plaine wasn’t afraid of the Saints coming marching into town for the home opener. Saints starter Jacob Wolf cruised through the first 3 innings striking out 6 Tigers, but as soon as he left the game the Tigers bats came alive. With the town Tigers down 1-0 in the 5th they rallied off 5 runs with every player coming up to the plate, and never trailed in the game again. The Tigers were led by lead-off hitter Shawn ‘Poptart’ Larson who went 3 for 5 just the long ball short of the cycle, and Dan Huber who had two hits and two runs batted in on the night. Shane Hoffman toed the rubber for the Tigers and went 4 strong innings giving up one earned run and then handed the ball off to the young Tiger bullpen in Jake Scherer and Josh Terrio for the final 5 innings.
Winthrop 1 vs. Belle Plaine 9 @ Gaylord (Sunday, April 29 - BOXSCORE)
The Tigers traveled to the much closer field in Gaylord due to winter kill at the field in Winthrop. Once again the Tiger bats were quiet to start, with the score being tied at 0 going into the 6th inning. Dan Huber and Pat Schultz started the Tiger rally in the 6th with back to back singles to start off the inning. After a sacrifice bunt by pitcher Brad Lawson, Matt Schultz drove a ball to center field for the Tigers first RBI of the game. Tiger second baseman Dylan Nyberg later drove in Pat Schultz on a towering sac fly to centerfield to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead which would end up being all they needed. However in the 9th inning the Tigers rallied off 5 runs to expand their lead to 9-1 which was more than enough for the Tiger pitching staff. The 3-4-5 hitters for the Tigers which were Pat Schultz, Lawson, and Matt Schultz all recorded 3 hit days, while Hartman and new comer Zach Horning both had 2. Starting pitcher Brad Lawson pitched deep into the game going 7 2/3 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 4. Shawn Larson came in to receive the save throwing the final 1 1/3 striking out 3, Larson came in with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 8th with the score being 4-1 and still receives the save after the Tiger outburst in the 9th inning.
Don’t forget to come up to Tiger Park this Friday night as the Tigers take on the Jays from Prior Lake with a 7:30 P.M. first pitch. It's Dollar Beer Night -- the beer will be cold, and the action hot!
Check out the Stats tab at www.bptigertown.com: we now have full, automated boxscores and up-to-date season statistics after each game.
Dollar Dog Night & "Ace of the Staff" to Highlight Opener on Friday
Another season of town team baseball begins Friday at Tiger Park, when the St. Benedict Saints drop in for a 7:30 pm first pitch. Tiger veteran Shane Hofmann will toe the rubber to face “America's Team," who in return will more than likely counteract with lefty Jacob Wolf. The tradition of recent years will continue, meaning it will be Dollar Dog Night at the park.
Season tickets are currently available at Brad’s Barber Shop, from any BP Baseball Association member, or at the Tiger Park ticket gate. $25 will get you into each of the 17 home games (gate price: $3 adults, $2 students/seniors), which includes the Tigertown Classic. $50 will get you all that plus a hot dog and beverage of your choice at each game. Not to mention, you will just feel cooler.
The Winthrop vs. Belle Plaine game set for Sunday at 2 p.m. will be played in Gaylord, due to winter grass kill and unplayable conditions in Winthrop. There has been a change this year in realigning the class “C” teams in the River Valley League. Team Tigertown will be in the Central division once again with LeSueur, Chanhassen, Henderson, and the new class “C” team, Jordan Brewers. Jordan recently dropped from class “B” to class “C” and was placed in the same division as the Tigers. The West division will consist of Arlington, Fairfax, Winthrop, Gaylord, St. Peter, and New Ulm.
The Minnesota Baseball Association recently announced that amount of State Tournament berths for the 2012 Tournament in St. Cloud will depend on the attendance at the State Tournament from the regions in previous seasons. The River Valley League/Region 6C were rewarded with three State Tournament berths, which is one more than they have had in previous seasons.
Don’t forget to follow the MBA and RVL on Twitter at @MinnBaseball and @RVLbaseball, respectively. Of course the Tigers’ also have Twitter, @bptigertown, and the team website remains www.bptigertown.com. Find us on Facebook by searching for ‘Belle Plaine Town Team Baseball.’
Manager Jeff Miller returns this year and will try to pilot the Tiger ship to their third straight State Tournament berth. Paul Fogarty will be helping out manager Miller as well, and the Tigers will no longer have the services of ace pitcher Adam Johnson and 3rd base coach/pinch runner Brett Kruschke.
Returning to the Tiger den in 2012 are: Travis Latzke, Miah Fogarty, Johnny Egan, Brad Lawson, Josh Terrio, Tyler Hartman, Dylan Nyberg, Matt Schultz, Shane Hofmann, Shawn Larson, Dan Huber, Zac Dahlke, Pat Schultz, Rob Wagener, Mike Schultz, Ryan Diers, Jake Scherer and James Harsh. Newbies to Tigertown at this point are Sam Korth and Zach Horning.
