Ashley Betzold, 3 hits and 5-hit pithcing victory vs. New Prague
(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Farmington won one of three games to finish seventh at the Lakeville North Invitational tournament played Saturday, May 7, at Aronson Park.
None of three games featured much in the way of suspense with the Tigers losing to Lakeville North 8-0 and Prior Lake 10-1 in the their first two games before routing New Prague 10-1 in the third.
"We did not start out the tournament playing very well," Tiger coach Rob Laden said. "We had a combined nine errors in the first two games...We also were playing some very good teams. Not a good combination.
"We finished the tournament with the win over New Prague which allowed us to leave on a positive note."
Lakeville North 8 Farmington 0
Perhaps the biggest story in the opener was the 14 illegal pitches called on Tiger pitcher Ashley Betzold by the home plate umpire.
"He was saying her feet were not staying in contact with the ground," Laden said. The problem was there was a four-inch drop from the pitcher's plate to the ground. It was over-umpiring at its finest."
North used the calls to score three runs on only one hit in the first inning and then built on the lead the rest of the way. Betzold went the first four innings in the circle before being replaced by Toni Hunsinger in the fifth.
North finished with seven hits but also took advantage of the illegal pitch calls and five Tiger fielding miscues.
Farmington had four hits in the contest, a double by Erin Wurst and singles by Betzold, Alyssa Hagen and Alyssa Kalmes.
Prior Lake 10 Farmington 1
Things didn't go a whole lot better in the second game as the Lakers roughed up Betzold (3 innings) and Hunsinger (4 innings) for 11 runs on 15 hits. The Tigers also contributed to their fate with four more errors.
Hunsinger's double knocked in the only run for Farmington which had just four other hits, two by Betzold and one apiece by Dani Muelken and Hagen.
Farmington 10 New Prague 1
The Tiger bats woke up early in game three, manufacturing four runs in the first three innings. A suicide squeeze bunt by Kalmes scored the first run in the opening inning and then in the third the locals added three more on doubles by Betzold, Aleah Williamson and Ally Rice and a single by Kalmes.
The Tigers put the game away with a five-run fourth inning with the big hit a two-run double by Hunsinger. Another Hunsinger double in the fifth chased home the final Farmington run.
Betzold, who had three hits for the winners. picked up the complete game pitching victory, scattering five hits while striking out three.
The weekend tournament capped off a busy week for Farmington who split six games in six days,
In Thursday's 5-3 loss to Northfield at Tiger Field, the Raiders jumped to a 5-0 lead after three frames and kept the home team off the board until its last at-bat.
In the Farmington seventh, Taylor Yousse led off with a hit, Hunsinger walked and Taylor Haakana was hit by a pitch. Williamson then ripped a double to clear the bases.
Betzold gave up five hits and four earned runs in absorbing the pitching loss for the Tigers.
