Lost in the Ninth

Belle Plaine’s first two batters of the game drew walks and scored off Travis Van Doren, but a pair of strikeouts with men in scoring position thwarted what could have been a larger rally. This sequence loomed large as the game wore on, and these two foes were tied at two after eight.

In the ninth, Shane Hofmann delivered an RBI single to score Dave Feldt, who had drawn a leadoff walk. Would it hold up?

Starter Mike Schultz was still around to find out. In short, a menagerie of events unfolded – none kind to the Tigers – and Waconia had stolen the game back, winning 4-3 on a one-out single by Josh Brandenberg. In the losing cause, Schultz fanned an impressive eight batters.

Ryan Witt finally shed the Sombrero, which belongs to the last person to strike out three games in a row. His streak is believed to be the second-longest in Tiger history, since Pat Moriarty carried it for a lengthy run a few years ago. Jonny Schulz is the new man in black.