Winthrop Does It to Tigers Again

7/26/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Winthrop	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	5	10	1
Belle Plaine	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	4	10	0

Dan Weldon was tagged out at home while attempting to score the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, ending the Tigers’ season and giving the Winthrop Eagles a 5-4 victory. With the bases loaded, two outs, and a 5-3 Winthrop lead, Pat Schultz hit a ground ball to first that was booted by Chris Fahey. Tim Schuster scored from third and Weldon, who began the play at second, was not far behind. But Fahey gathered himself and threw a perfect strike home to nab Weldon, on what was a close call at the plate.

In a case study in frustration, Winthrop beat the Tigers in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, while over that time the Tigers are 5-0 against the Eagles during the regular season. In those five victories, Belle Plaine has outscored Winthrop 52-13. However, during the playoffs, the Eagles have gone 3-0 and spanked the Tigers by a combined margin of 30-11.

Winthrop entered the game as the fourth seed in the CCL-White playoffs at 4-13, and 6-21 overall. Of course, Winthrop also went 4-18 in league play two years ago, before catching fire and taking it all the way to the second round of the 2003 state tournament.

Dave Kreft started on the mound, taking his second loss of the playoffs after entering with a 5-1 mark. The veteran righty went seven innings officially, but it was the first batter of the eighth – pitcher Scott Palmer – who took him yard to give Winthrop what proved to be the decisive run.

Palmer threw the complete game, yielding ten hits and four walks while striking out seven. He recorded his biggest punch-out of the ninth when with runners on second and third and one out, he won the battle with his counterpart, Kreft.

Weldon was the hitting ace for Team Tigertown, lacing a two-run homer in the third to make it 2-2, and stroking a one-out double in the ninth to give Belle Plaine a golden opportunity to tie it up again.

Both teams played well defensively – the only error being Fahey’s boot on the last play of the ninth.

HOFMANN, SCHULTZ DRAFTED:

Brownton, who knocked off the Tigers 4-3 in the first round, won the CCL-White Championship by beating #1 seed St. Peter twice – 5-4 in the semi-finals, and 15-1 in the championship game. (See bracket for full details.) Brownton selected Pat Schultz of Belle Plaine, and Scott Palmer of Winthrop, while St. Peter countered with Shane Hofmann of Tigeritaville, and Randy Walsh of Gaylord. Congratulations to Pat and Shane, and good luck!

REGION 4C ACTION IN BELLE PLAINE:

Unfortunately, Team Tigertown will not be taking part in the festivities at Tiger Park, but Region 4C action will commence this Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 6 & 7), with games at 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm each day. Brownton and Minnesota Lake, the #2 seed from the 13-60 League, will play Saturday’s first game, followed by St. Peter and the 13-60’s #1 seed, the defending Class ‘C’ champion Blue Earth Pirates.

The two state tournament representatives from Region 4C will be determined the following Saturday (Aug. 13) in Belle Plaine, with one potential seeding game played Sunday, if necessary.

2005 TIGER OPEN

The 2005 Tiger Open will be held Saturday, September 17 th at Valley View Golf Club, with a 1:00 pm shotgun start. The format is a four-person, 18-hole scramble, so start assembling your team today. We are still determining the cost, but looking to lower it from last year’s rate to encourage greater participation. Look for details soon in an upcoming Herald.

2005 SEASON-IN-REVIEW:

Team Tigertown finished with a 9-8 record in the Carver Central, good for 2 nd place in the White Division, while posting an overall record of 15-20. The Tigers scheduled aggressively by facing a stellar non-league schedule, and paid for it by winning only two of their first eleven ballgames. From that point on, however, the Tigers played winning baseball, going 13-11 (.542) the rest of the way.

Belle Plaine enjoyed participating in the Tigertown Classic, and really made hay the following weekend, winning three games in two days to claim the Consolation Championship of the 16-team Miller Lite Invitational (held in Arlington and Green Isle).

Individually, Pat Schultz took home the batting title with a .351 batting average, this after hitting .353 and .358 the previous two campaigns. (Pat – you’re starting to fall off.) Schultz edged out Dan Weldon (.338) and Mike Dhaene (.336), who both came on strong in the second half.

Dave Kreft led the team with five wins, and posted the best ERA among starters at 2.31. Among relievers, Ryan Witt and Brett Kruschke didn’t allow an earned run all year, although Witt’s 21.2 innings stack up a bit more impressively than Kruschke’s 1.0. (These are the numbers – I just report ‘em.)

Thanks to everyone who supported the Tigers this year, and we’ll see you again next spring!

Belle Plaine TIGERS (15-20)
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	Avg.
Weldon, cf	5	1	2	2	0	.338
Kreft, p-3b	4	0	0	0	1	.194
Dhaene, ss	3	0	1	0	2	.336
P. Schultz, c	4	1	1	0	1	.353
Huber, 2b-lf	4	0	1	0	0	.299
Zellmann, 1b	4	0	2	0	0	.246
Hartmann, dh	4	0	1	0	0	.167
S. Hofmann, rf	0	0	0	0	0	.179
Kruschke, pr	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Schuneman, lf	3	1	2	0	0	.222
Witt, p	1	0	0	0	0	.19
A. Hoffman, 3b-2b	3	0	0	0	0	.189
Schuster, ph	0	1	0	0	1	.260
TOTALS	35	4	10	2	5	.286
2B – Weldon. 3B – none. HR – Weldon.
HBP – none. SB –P.Schultz.
Pitcher	IP	H	R/ER	BB/K	NP	ERA
Kreft (L, 5-3)	7.0	8	5/5	4/4	126	2.31
Witt	2.0	2	0/0	0/1	28	0.00

Tigers Take the Hard Road

Brownton Sends Tigers to Loser’s Bracket (--by Brett Kruschke)

Last year, the Tigers entered the playoffs with a 2-0 regular season record against their first opponent, Winthrop, before getting clobbered at home and dispatched to the loser’s bracket. This year, the Tigers opened at home with a 2-0 regular season mark against Brownton and – you guessed it – got bumped to the loser’s bracket with a 4-3 loss on Friday.

Last year, the Tigers followed up their opening defeat with a surreal loss to Waconia, ending the season; this year, the Tigers have so far taken the first of three necessary steps to advance, beating Gaylord 13-3 on Sunday. Last night, the Tigers hosted Winthrop; if you need a score before next week’s paper, go to www.bptigertown.com.

With the double-elimination format, the Tigers needed a win last night and again on Thursday, or the season is kaput. If the Tigers prevailed last night, they will play at St. Peter or at Brownton on Thursday (7:30 pm) for the right to advance to the Region 4C playoffs, beginning August 6 th in Belle Plaine. First however, a seeding game would take place this Saturday for the CCL-White championship; if Belle Plaine is participating, that too will be on the road, at either St. Peter or Brownton. Game time is 2:00 pm. Please refer to the attached bracket, or the team website, for full details.

Brownton 4 @ Tigers 3 (Friday, July 22)

7/22/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brownton	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	4	8	0
Belle Plaine	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	6	3

As mentioned earlier, the Tiger Train beat the Bruins twice this season, by scores of 9-3 and 11-6. That and a dollar seventy-five will get you a cup of coffee, as the Tigers knew too well.

The hometown team had the man they wanted on the hill in Dave Kreft, he of the 5-1 record and airtight 1.77 ERA. However, the game’s first hitter, Jake Maurer, drew a free pass, and came around to score on a two-out throwing error. It was one of five walks Kreft would issue, although his bottom line of two earned runs in seven innings was still very solid.

The Tigers knotted things up in the second when Dan Weldon doubled, and Scotty “Too Hottie” Schaffler singled him in. Things remained tied at one until Ryan Hansch led off the sixth with a circuit blast, and an RBI single by 9-hitter Bryant Norby made it 3-1 for the Bruins after five and a half.

Tigertown restored the roar in the bottom of the frame, tying it up on a two-run single by Pat Schultz, after Kreft and “The Dhaen Train” – Mike Dhaene – opened the inning with base hits. Schultz was sacrificed to second, but a pair of strikeouts ended the inning.

The seventh was the death knell for the Tigers. A botched fly ball put the leadoff runner on, and it would soon hurt as a needless two-out throwing error allowed the eventual winning-run to score, making it 4-3 Brownton.

The Tigers still had nine outs to mount a rally, but went 1-2-3 in the seventh and eighth. In the ninth, Schaffler was beaned and with two outs, Zip Zellmann worked a walk after a long at-bat, to put runners at first and second. A base hit could tie it, but a pop-out ended it, sending Belle Plaine to the ill-fated left-side of the playoff bracket.

Bruins’ chucker Nick Heller had a solid outing, going the distance while striking out nine with only one walk. He allowed only six hits.

Belle Plaine TIGERS (14-19)
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	Avg.
Huber, lf	4	0	1	0	0	.288
Kreft, p-3b	4	0	1	0	0	.188
Kruschke, pr	0	1	0	0	0	.000
Dhaene, ss	4	1	1	0	0	.333
P. Schultz, c	4	0	1	2	0	.351
Weldon, cf	3	1	1	0	0	.318
Schaffler, 1b	3	0	1	1	0	.297
Schuneman, pr	0	0	0	0	0	.196
Witt, rf	3	0	0	0	0	.183
Hartmann, ph	1	0	0	0	0	.152
Zellmann, dh	3	0	0	0	1	.212
J. Schulz, 3b	0	0	0	0	0	.250
S. Hofmann, rf	0	0	0	0	0	.179
M. Schultz, pr	0	0	0	0	0	.000
A. Hoffman, 2b	3	0	0	0	0	.213
TOTALS	32	3	6	3	1	.188
2B – Huber, Weldon. 3B – none. HR – none.
HBP – Schaffler, A.Hoffman. SB – Dhaene.
Pitcher	IP	H	R/ER	BB/K	NP	ERA
Kreft (L, 5-2)	7	7	4/2	5/4	120	1.86
Witt	2	1	0/0	2/1	35	0.00

 

Tigers 13 @ Gaylord 3 (Sunday, July 24 – 8 innings)

7/24/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	R	H	E
Belle Plaine	2	0	0	1	1	4	0	5	13	19	1
Gaylord	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	3	9	3

Gaylord finished 3-14 and in last place in the CCL-White, but one of those three was a 6-5 win over the Tigers just two weeks ago, so Belle Plaine was taking nothing for granted on this hot afternoon.

Then, there was no roof on the visiting dugout, and the Tigers finished with a paltry three hits. On this day, the Schultz Roofing Co. of Belle Plaine strapped a tarp to the still-agape dugout, and the Tigers finished with 19 hits. That’s one high-quality tarp.

Shane Hofmann wasn’t sure if he should start in centerfield or at shortstop, so settled for the pitcher’s mound, and held a 2-1 lead after three. The Tigers added single runs in the fourth and fifth, while the Islanders nabbed one back in the fifth to make it 4-2. From that point on though, it was all Tigers.

The Big Grr batted ten in the sixth, scoring four times. After a quiet seventh, they batted ten again, plating five runs to make it 13-3. A quick Mike Schultz-inning in the eighth ended the game via the ten-run rule.

The Tigers lashed out 19 bleeders on the day, as every starter except one had a hit. Dan Weldon, Dan Huber, and Scott Schaffler collected three rips each on the day. Huber drove in four runs for the second time in less than two weeks, out of his beloved five-hole.

Judging by pictures and conversation after the ballgame, it appeared to be the end for a lot of Gaylord veterans, including Dan “Hambone” Hamann, who will be missed.

Belle Plaine TIGERS (15-19)
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	Avg.
Weldon, cf	6	1	3	1	0	.333
Kreft, 3b	4	2	2	1	1	.206
Dhaene, ss	5	2	2	1	1	.336
P. Schultz, c	4	2	2	2	1	.356
Huber, dh	5	1	3	4	0	.300
S. Hofmann, p	0	0	0	0	0	.179
M. Schultz, p	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Schaffler, 1b	4	1	3	1	0	.342
Hartmann, rf	5	1	1	0	0	.158
Schuster, lf	4	0	1	1	0	.260
Zellmann, ph	1	1	1	0	0	.226
Hoffman, 2b	3	1	0	0	1	.200
Witt, ph	1	1	1	1	0	.192
TOTALS	42	13	19	12	4	.452
2B – P.Schultz. 3B – none. HR – none.
HBP –Kreft, Schaffler. SB –Weldon, P.Schultz, Huber.
Pitcher	IP	H	R/ER	BB/K	NP	ERA
S. Hofmann (W, 2-4)	7	9	3/3	0/4	93	4.29
M. Schultz	1	0	0/0	0/0	9	4.93

It All Starts Tonight

Tigers Host Brownton in 1st RD of CCL White Playoffs (--by Nick Kornder)

Belle Plaine, Minn. - Well summer has flown by quicker than Al Bundy and that special time has arrived - Amateur Baseball Playoffs. El Tigre finished 1/2 game out of first place in the CCL White Division and missed out on a first round bye, but don't thing that will keep the boys in blue (or red or gray) from entertaining the hundreds of fans that have already purchased tickets to tonight's game.

The Tigers host Brownton tonight, a team they already have beaten twice this season by the scores of 9-3 and 11-6, but if you ask any coach, one of the toughest tasks in all of sports is to take the trifecta from one team in a season. Brownton comes in with a 5-12 record in the CCL White, good enough to place them third ahead of Winthrop (4-13) and Gaylord (3-14). Those two teams square off in Winthrop tonight at 7:30 p.m. as well. The winner of that game will go on to face St. Peter on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Tigers, if they win, will await the winner of the St. Peter game in a match-up on Tuesday, July 26th. If they happen to fall, they will take on the loser of the Winthrop Gaylord game on Sunday.

 

Dan "The Man"

Huber Helps Tiger's Get Back on Track (--by Brett Kruschke)

And Boom Goes the Dynamite

Tigers Implode vs. Gaylord, St. Peter (--by Brett Kruschke)

Team Tigertown topped Brownton and Arlington in convincing fashion, followed by their two worst games of the year – losing back-to-back against Gaylord and St. Peter. The 20-5 trouncing at the hands of the Saints means St. Peter will be the #1 seed in the CCL-White playoffs, while the Tigers will be #2, opening up at home on Friday, July 22 nd against either Brownton or Winthrop. Game time will be 7:30 pm.

Last night, the locals traveled to Winthrop; check www.bptigertown.com for results, or wait for next week’s Herald.

Thursday the El Tigre Train rolls to Mankato, to battle the Twins, in a non-league tune-up. 7:30 pm first pitch. On Sunday, the Tigers are sure to sweat profusely as they face the Braves in Le Sueur (2:00 pm), wrapping up the regular season. Note: If the BBQ coin has not been found by game time, Zip Zellmann will begin releasing clues, every hour on the hour, until it is found.

As mentioned, the CCL-White playoffs will begin on Friday, July 22 nd; the division consists of #1 seed St. Peter, # 2 seed Belle Plaine, #5 seed Gaylord, and Brownton and Winthrop, who will be the #3 and #4 seeds (still to be determined). The top two teams will advance to Region 4C play, beginning August 6 th, in Belle Plaine, who will be the single site host for this year’s Region 4C playoffs. Full details, including the CCL-White playoff bracket, will be in next week’s paper.

Brownton 6 @ Tigers 11 (Tuesday, July 5th)

7/5/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brownton	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	6	11	4
Belle Plaine	3	0	0	1	3	4	0	0	X	11	10	2

Shane Hofmann returned to the mound for the first time since hearing his elbow pop on May 20 in St. Francis. He was greeted rudely by the Bruins, who took advantage of a two-out error to post five consecutive singles and take a 3-0 first inning lead.

The Pride of the Borough stormed back with three of their own, and things were underway. Hofmann was on a short pitch count, so left after three for the man with the fire in his belly, Dan Huber. Belle Plaine scored one in the fourth and three in the fifth, highlighted by a stand-up triple (sic) by the big Clydesdale himself, Zip Zellmann. We can only assume the ball got caught in the vines!

Brownton scored thrice in the sixth, but again the Express answered immediately, plating four. Dave Feldt, serving as emergency catcher thanks to Pat Schultz’s absence and Nate Hartmann’s still-casted foot, poked his second RBI single in as many innings for the final two runs. Feldt’s gutty effort behind the dish reminded of Gabby Hartnett – back when the men were men, and the women were, too.

Ryan Witt slammed the door with two scoreless stanzas, striking out four.

Arlington 2 @ Tigers 9 (Friday, July 8th)

7/8/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Arlington	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	6	2
Belle Plaine	1	0	1	0	2	0	1	4	X	9	12	1

In the “Battle for the Red Helmet,” the Tigers sent their ace Dave Kreft to the hill, to face his former mates. To quote Hannibal Lechter, “I’m having an old friend for dinner.”

Kreft came out throwing about 30 miles an hour, and was touched for a run in the first. However, he soon adjusted and before you know it, was leaving with two outs in the seventh, ahead 4-2.

The game was very much in peril, as the bases were full. In came Mike Schultz, who promptly hit his first batter to force in a run. Cleanup hitter Scott Dose then lined the snot out of one, but right at Kreft – who had moved to third – to end the inning.

Pat Schultz finished off a 4-for-4 night with a booming RBI triple in the seventh, making it 5-2. For Schultz, it was his seventh consecutive hit and ninth in his last ten official at-bats. It also raised his average to .407, ending any speculation of Feldt permanently stealing the starting catcher’s gig.

Pat Schultz is on fire

The Tigers proceeded to add four in the eighth, thanks in part to yet another triple, this time from Dan Huber, plating two. Huber went 3-for-5 on the evening.

Ryan Witt no longer had a save situation, but struck out the side in the ninth anyways, giving him six straight strikeouts over two games. On the year, Witt has not allowed an earned run in 16.2 innings pitched.

It was a good crowd for Fan Appreciation Night, and many people went home with something, if not heartburn. The big winners were Vern Nyblom of Belle Plaine and Allen Van Buskirk of Henderson, who both won 2006 season tickets; and youngster Mitchell Heibel of Arlington, who won a Tiger autographed baseball.

Tigers 5 @ Gaylord 6 (Sunday, July 10th)

7/10/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Belle Plaine	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	0	5	3	2
Gaylord	1	1	0	2	2	0	0	0	X	6	13	5

Do not be deceived by the final score – this was a whooping by the Gaylord Islanders, who entered with a 2-15 record in the CCL, and an 11-game losing streak. The first tip of the cap must go to Gaylord’s Randy Walsh, who went the distance, allowing five unearned runs and just three hits, with no walks.

Shane Hofmann was making his second start back from arm trouble, and was hit early and often. Upon leaving midway through the 5 th, Hofmann was battered like a piece of cod, surrending twelve hits and six runs (four earned).

Jonny Schulz entered with the bases loaded, and kept the Tigers in the game at 6-2 by striking out both men he faced. Jonny Appleseed would also post goose eggs over the final three innings, capping a sweet day on the hill for the young right-hander.

It was odd to think back to snowflakes in New Germany earlier this season, to sitting in the sweltering afternoon heat in the roofless Gaylord dugout. That’s right – last week’s storm took the roof off the visitors dugout! And there were hornets, too. Otherwise, it was a lot of fun.

The Tigers took advantage of not one, not two, but three errors by the Gaylord shortstop in the eighth inning, adding three runs without a hit, to make it 6-5. However, in the ninth Walsh finished what he started, setting the Tigers down 1-2-3.

St. Peter 20 @ Tigers 5 (Monday, July 11 th, 8 innings)

7/10/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	R	H	E
St. Peter	1	0	5	0	3	0	2	9	20	17	0
Belle Plaine	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	1	5	7	10

I’m not sure I could over-exaggerate how bad of a game the Tigers played, and there were too many witnesses for me to lie to you. In what began as a clash of the top two teams in the CCL-White, quickly turned into the most wretched team performance this reporter has ever witnessed. I’m sorry, but it was that bad, and it was embarrassing.

Belle Plaine stunk in all three primary facets of the game – offense, defense, and special teams. The Tigers posted an amazing ten errors over this eight-inning circus, and everyone had a hand in it. Players could be seen diving and flopping all over the field, from start to finish.

The pitching was just as rotten – allowing 17 hits and six walks, falling behind in the count all night, while poor Pat Schultz (the Tiger catcher) had to squat for 194 pitches. Again, that’s over eight innings.

Offensively, the Tigers drew seven walks and as many hits, with the lone extra-base hit being Dan Weldon’s two-run homer off the football press box in the third inning. The hometown team trailed 6-3 at that point, but that was as close as it would get.

Belle Plaine fans thought they had seen it all when the Saints led 11-4 after seven, but that’s when the wheels really came off and nine more runs came across in the eighth, each pitch like the painful prick of a Tiger cupie doll. I know I’ll never see another game like this, because it’s not possible.

 

Down Goes Brownton
Tigers Win 11-6 (by Nick Kornder)

7/5/05	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brownton	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	6	11	4
Belle Plaine	3	0	0	1	3	4	0	0	X	11	10	2

Belle Plaine, Minn. - Team TigerTown won their CCL White division game over Brownton 11-6 on Tuesday night at Tiger Park. Shane Hoffman made his return to the mound and went three innings. Dan Huber (2-2) came in the next four innings before Ryan Witt took the last two.

Tigers Conclude Busy, Winning Month

Post 8-7 Record in June (--by Brett Kruschke)

The local nine stormed past league-mate Brownton 9-3 last Tuesday, before losing to St. Patrick 7-4 on Thursday, June 30th. In Carver Central play, the Tigers have crept to 5-6, but remain in second place behind St. Peter. Overall, the borough city kitties are 10-15.

To paraphrase Lou Brown, “10-15 is hardly a great record.” But look inside the numbers, and Belle Plaine posted a winning month at 8-7, after only a 2-8 mark through May. To quote Lou again, “It’s startin’ to come together, Pepper!” (And one more time, just for fun: “We’re out of towels, and I’m too old to be diving into lockers.”)

El Tigre faced Browton again last night, at home. Details should be on the web at www.bptigertown.com, or wait for next week’s Herald. This Friday night, July8 th, is “Fan Appreciation Night” versus Arlington – game time, 7:30 pm. There will be drawings for giveaways, including state tournament apparel from last year, and season tickets for 2006! The mood should be festive out at Tiger Park.

Sunday, Belle Plaine will visit Gaylord for a 2:00 pm war on the shore. Meanwhile, Monday against St. Peter will be the final promotion of the 2005 campaign at Tiger Park – “$1-Foul Ball Night” for kids 12 and under. Kids, wear your Little League shirts if you have ‘em, would ya?! That’s the spirit! Who needs a summer job, when you can chase foul balls for a buck apiece.

And oh by the way – the Tigers host St. Peter in a game that could likely determine first place, and a first-round bye, in the CCL-White. Start time is 7:30 pm – please note this is a makeup date from an earlier rainout. It is also the last regular season home game.

On Tuesday, the Tiger Train will play their fourth game in five days – a 7:30 pm affair at Winthrop.

Tigers 9 @ Brownton 3 (Tuesday, June 28)

Belle Plaine ventured through Bongards and on to Brownton, confident in having “The Milk Carton Brothers” – Dave Kreft and Dan Weldon – for the first time in nearly two weeks. The Tigers weathered the storm surprisingly well, going 5-2 in their absence. Still, they both somehow found their way back into the lineup for this CCL-White showcase showdown.

The boys from the beautiful prairie started out early with two in the first, while Brownton answered with one. The difference was the Tigers kept pouring it on: scoring two in the third and three in the fourth, for a 7-1 lead after four.

On the mound, Dave Kreft kept the Bruins at bay, departing with a 7-3 lead after seven. The “Kreft-O-Matic Adjustable” scattered nine hits, while fanning an impressive eight Bruin strikers. (That’s right – I said strikers.)

Weldon gave the Tigers a little more breathing room in the eighth, stroking a two-run, two-out single, making it 9-3. The insurance runs proved unnecessary, as the new “Everyday Eddie” of the Carver Central – Ryan Witt – worked a scoreless eighth and ninth, with three K’s. In 13.2 innings this year, Witt’s ERA is still perfect – 0.00.

Offensively, the Tigers had two hitting studs: Dan Huber and Mike Dhaene, both of whom went 4-for-6. Huber scored four runs, batting a spot ahead of Dhaene, the three-hitter.

The striped ones were aggressive, swiping four bases, including two by Pat “I still need a nickname” Schultz. Defensively, Brownton booted six balls, while the Tigers committed nary an error.

St. Patrick 7 @ Tigers 4 (Thursday, June 30)

Ho-hum – another Tiger non-league game, another 2004 state tournament foe to battle. Mike Schultz would take his chances on the mound, and why not – he just might be the luckiest son-of-a-gun in town.

Schultz allowed two first-inning runs, but Team Tigertown roared back with three in the third for a 3-2 lead, thanks to a two-RBI, two-out single by Jonny “Pitching Wedge” Schulz. In the fifth, the Irish scored a pair of unearned runs thanks to two Tiger errors; and in the sixth, the St. Patrick Danicas nabbed three more to take control, 7-3.

Team Tigre loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth, but a double play killed the rally and the locals could tally only one, making it a 7-4 final. Pat Schultz was locked in all night, going 3-for-3 with a walk, while Jonny Schulz and Zip Zellmann had two hits apiece.

We always like to point out rookie highlights – Peter Schuneman earned the sombrero, striking out three times in a row. I guess that would be a “pure” sombrero, kind of like a pure hat trick in hockey – congratulations, Peter!

Tigers Playing Better

Have Won 5 of the Last 7 (--by Brett Kruschke)

The pride of TigerTown went 2-2 in the Carver Central over the last week, bringing their record to 4-6 in league play, and 9-14 overall. The Tigers have won five of their last seven after starting the season a rugged 2-9.

Belle Plaine lost a heartbreaker to first-place St. Peter last Tuesday, 6-5, when the Saints scored two in the eighth to steal the game. On Thursday, Team Tigertown downed Gaylord 6-4; on Sunday, the locals rallied for five in the ninth to beat Carver 9-5, while losing that same evening at Jordan, 5-2.

Last night, the locals traveled to Brownton; check www.bptigertown.com or next week’s Herald for results. Tomorrow night (Thursday), El Tigre welcomes St. Patrick for a 7:30 pm duel. After taking some time off over the holiday, Belle Plaine will face Brownton again, this time at home, 7:30 pm on Tuesday, July 5 th.

BP 5 @ St. Peter 6 (Tuesday, June 21 st)

The Tigers were ready to get back to league action after seven consecutive non-league games, spanning two tournaments. The St. Peter Saints entered at 4-4 in the five-team CCL-White – good enough for first place and a one-game lead over the second-place Tigers (2-4).

El Tigre scored 24 runs over their previous two contests, and came in winners of three straight. That run-scoring deluge continued when the Tigers jumped on Saints starter Jeff Gilbertson for three in the first, including five hits and back-to-back RBI doubles by Pat Schultz and Ryan Witt.

After four games on the three-day weekend, manager Shane Hofmann turned to one of the Tigers all-time pitching greats, Zip Zellmann. It was the tall lefty’s first start of the year.

Mike Dhaene delivered a run-scoring single in the fourth to make it 5-3 Tigers, already his third hit of the game at that juncture. From there on, both pitchers tightened up and the song remained the same until St. Peter scratched for an unearned run in the seventh, making it 5-4.

Zellmann started the eighth, but was gone after its first batter, a full count walk to slugger Mike Newman. The “tangy Zip of Miracle Whip” yielded only five hits, while striking out seven. “I’m throwin’ everything I’ve got at ‘em, skipper,” Zellmann said. To which ManagerHofmann replied, “Great game, Harris.”

On came “Super” Dave Feldt, who recorded the first out on a sacrifice bunt, runner moving to second. The next batter popped out to Feldt, and two were gone. The next batter grounded to third, where Ryan Witt fielded cleanly, but skipped the throw past first baseman Zellmann as the tying run scored, with the go-ahead run moving to second.

A base hit to left by eight-hitter Ryan Werner then made it 6-5, giving the Saints their first lead. Three outs later, the Tigers were forced to swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

Gaylord 4 @ BP 6 (Thursday, June 23)

The Tigers opened the scoring with four in the third inning, sending eight men to the plate against Islanders starter Brian Rodning. In the fourth, the Tigers tacked on two more, courtesy of a Dan Huber two-run blast. After predicting a homer in his previous 71 at-bats this year, it finally came true!

Tiger pitcher Mike Schultz took a 6-0 lead to the sixth, but would be forced to exit before the inning was out, thanks to a four-run Gaylord uprising. Ryan Witt came on in relief, and took it all the way home with 3.1 scoreless frames, garnering his second save.

Gaylord’s Dan “Hambone” Hamann came in relief and chucked 3.1 innings of scoreless ball, the equivalent of Wayne Terwilliger throwing a no-hitter in batting practice. We love you though, Hambone.

Shortstop Mike Dhaene collected three of the home team’s seven hits, his second three-hit effort in a row; he also stole two of the Tigers’ six bases on the night.

BP 9 @ Carver 5 (Sunday, June 26)

El Tigre had a road doubleheader on Sunday, playing Carver at 1:00 pm and Jordan at 6:00 pm. Perhaps we should have kept the T-Road Bus for another day, to assist us on this rare road trip. Nonetheless, off to Pocket Gopher Park the Tigers went.

Carver entered with an 0-12 record in CCL-play, and the Tigers were hoping not to be their first victim. With that information as a backdrop, the Black Sox carried a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning. Things looked bleak for Tigertown’s warriors.

Adam Hoffman opened the ninth by reaching on an error by shortstop Kevin Kimmes, an omen of things to come. He was sacrificed to second, and with first base open Pat Schultz collected his fourth hit of the day, a scorched single to right field to tie it up at five apiece.

Then the wheels came off for the Black Sox, as the Tigers scored four more runs without a hit the remainder of the way. That’s right – there were three walks, a hit batsman, and Carver’s seventh error of the game. As the Tigers had four miscues of their own, I don’t need to tell you this was an ugly one.

Ryan Witt was again the Tiger’s savior on the mound, working the final 2.1 innings to gain his first win in relief of Jonny Schulz. In 11.2 innings this year, he has yet to allow an earned run, and has walked only one batter.

BP 2 @ Jordan 5 (Sunday, June 26)

Not to beat a dead horse, but the Tigers have played short-handed quite a bit lately (and yes I do realize this is the official battle cry of most amateur-ball teams). Belle Plaine went into Larca Park without four starters: Dave Kreft, Dan Weldon, Ryan Witt, and the “All I do is get on base” #9-hitter, Nick Volek, not to mention the potent bat of Nate Hartmann, who’s been out for a while now with a cast on his foot. Throw in the fact that (self-proclaimed) ace Shane Hofmann hasn’t pitched since May 20 due to an arm injury, and you’re starting to get my drift.

This game had a weird overtone to it from the get-go, as the Tigers faced their centerfielder of the previous 14 years, Trace Selly, who swatted all five brush-back pitches into the air to complete an 0-for-5 evening. Delving deep into the boxscore, Tiger right-fielders Brad Connolly and Zip Zellmann combined to go only 0-for-4 on the night. Advantage, Tigers! (Just kidding, Sell!)

Team Tigertown struck first on a second-inning single by Scott Schaffler, as Dan Huber slid in just ahead of the tag at home plate.

Pitcher Dan Huber was finally touched for two in the fourth, sandwiched between a leadoff walk and an error in the outfield. That made it 2-1 Brewers, and they would stretch it to 5-1 in the fifth when third baseman Paul “Gilly” Buss atoned for an earlier error and stroked a three-run double.

Huber went on to close Jordan out over the final three innings, but the BP bats could only muster one more run – on an eighth-inning single by Tim Schuster – despite the fact that the Tigers out-hit the Brewers 11-10 on the day.

 

Back on Track
Tigers Hold on To Beat Gaylord 6-4 (by Nick Kornder)

6/23/05

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