Tigers Steal One, Watch Another Slip Away
--By Brett Kruschke
Team Tigertown split a pair of close games this past week, stunning Gaylord 4-3 in 11 innings last Tuesday, then watching a five-run eighth (all with two outs) lead to a 6-1 Prior Lake victory on Monday. For all their efforts-which includes winning eight of the last ten-El Tigre is a kissing-your-sister 12-12 (11-9 CCL) on the year.
Belle Plaine's finest will make what is hopefully not their last trip of the season to Northfield tonight-as they are co-hosting this year's state tournament with Dundas. First pitch, 7:30pm. On Friday, Brownton stops in for the final home game of the regular season, again a 7:30pm start time. Sunday will see our crusty warriors visiting Le Sueur at 6:00pm in what is sure to be a fiery battle-the Braves won 3-1 on June 29th, and the two clubs will almost certainly meet in the four-team CCL Red playoffs, beginning Monday, July 21st.
At this time, the team would like to implore Mark Huber to return to his familiar seat at Tiger Park for the stretch run. A free hot dog will be waiting.
Gaylord 3 @ BP 4 (Tuesday, July 1st)
The Tigers suffered a narrow defeat at Gaylord just one month ago, a 6-4 loss ending with the go-ahead run at the plate in the ninth. Runs were sure to be tight in this one as former Gustavus pitcher Tim Nesvig opposed homegrown product Shane Hofmann, who has been very stingy as of late.
The Islanders tabbed one in the second and another in the fifth, when Belle Plaine couldn't hold on to an inning-ending double play ball. Hofmann continued to work into the ninth, and before you knew it the home team still hadn't scored and was down to their final three outs.
Pat Schultz started the ninth with a walk, and after a fly out by Pat Moriarty, was forced at second on a Trace Selly grounder. Gaylord allowed second base, so Selly stole it; Jeff "Hot Plate" Miller then drilled a double to the gap in right. Suddenly the Tigers were a base hit from tying things up. With Mike "Rookie Do-Everything (Except Play)" Schultz running for Miller, Jeff "Steak Eye" Witt lined a single to center. Schultz raced home and narrowly beat the throw, tying it at two. With Witt having moved up to second on the throw home, pinch runner Jake Creighton tore home as Dan Weldon laced a ball down the left field line, but it was just foul. To extra innings we went.
Both teams had 1-2-3 tenths, with Shane Hofmann concluding a solid night of work. The righthander scattered eight hits and walked one. In his last 29 innings, Hofmann has given up an astounding total of one earned run, lowering his ERA from 7.20 to 3.50. The only real question is if he'll wear his grey or navy Tiger cap on his Hall of Fame plaque someday.
Mike Murphy relieved Hofmann in the eleventh, and struggled. Murph has been battling a bad back and wasn't his usual crisp self. When the smoke cleared one run was in, but runners were left at 2nd and 3rd with one out, which would later prove huge.
Pat Schultz started the 11th with a single to left on an 0-2 pitch, as Nesvig continued to toil. Moriarty failed to get two bunts down, then sent a grounder to second. But rather than a double play it went right through the wickets, and BP had runners at 1st and 3rd with nobody out. Selly tied it on a lash to center, Miller popped out, then Witt struck out. With pinch runner Chad Hoffman off on the crack from second, Weldon bounded one up the middle. A dive and a deflection gave Hoffman the chance to score, and he did, with a headfirst dive that sent the Tiger bench into pandemonium. The taste of sweet victory was on the Tigers' lips again, for the eighth time in nine tries.
BP 1 @ Prior Lake Jays 6 (Monday, July 7th)
Many Tigers got their first glimpse of Prior Lake's Veteran's Field, and it was impressive. Working the already high mound for the Jays was ex-Golden Gopher hoopster Tim Hanson, who played for Clem Haskins back in the mid-80's. Toeing the slab for the guests was Shane Hofmann, who never played for Coach Haskins but did attend a few Randy Carlson basketball camps.
BP got on the board early, as Dan Huber led off the game with a single, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Daron Anderson's sacrifice fly. Tiger baseball, right? Well, the Tiger Train would manage to go the rest of the game without a run and just four singles. (Uh, Tiger baseball?)
Shane was his vintage self and untouched until Hanson led off the fifth with a circuit clout to left. You could hear Clem saying, "That be one runs for the Jay." As Hofmann hit the 100-pitch mark, he opened the eighth by surrendering a leadoff single and was replaced by Dave Feldt.
Feldt walked his first man, fielded a sac bunt, then intentionally walked a batter to load them up before yielding to Dan Huber. After first baseman Jeff Witt made a sensational diving stop and throw home to force the runner for the second out, the wheels came off. A walk scored the go-ahead run, a full-count infield single plated two more, and a liner down the right-field line made it 6-1 Jays.
Not without some drama, a Tiger bellered at the umpire in the ninth after the team was warned much earlier. The man in blue approached the BP bench, and when no one claimed responsibility, Adam "Gol dangit" Hoffman was randomly selected and ejected from the police lineup. Shortly thereafter, so was Manager Kruschke. For those of you who keep track of such things, this was the 12th game an umpire has cost the Tigers this year; otherwise the perfect season would still be alive.
This page was created and maintained by Nick
Kornder, Sports Information Director at the University of Minnesota, Crookston.
The views and ideas on this page are that of the author, and not those of
the University of Minnesota.