17 May 2013

Baseball: Tigers blank Shakopee, finish .500 in Missota

Jordan Lugowksi 6-8 in the two games (photo by J. Lindquist)
Jordan Beschorner and Jared Lipinksi combined for a 4-0 shutout of Shakopee in the first game of a Missota Conference doubleheader played Thursday in Shakopee. The league leading Sabers won the nightcap 7-4.

The split of the twin bill closed the books on the league season for the Tigers who finished with a 7-7 mark.

"This was fun baseball to watch on both sides," Farmington coach Mike Winters said. "I'm proud of our guys who finished .500 in a tougher-than-normal Missota conference as well as in dealing with a mentally draining spring. The boys, the parents, the fans and the coaches have been great all year."

Beschorner scatterd eight hits in six innings to pick up the win in game one with Lipinski closing things out with an inning of scoreless relief.

Jordan Lugowski, who picked up four hits in Tuesday's doubleheader split with Chaska, was a perfect 4-4 in the contest with two runs scored. Bobby Eckert produced three of the four Farmington runs with a double and a sacrifice fly.

Johnny Dittman, Zach Speikers, Nick Schoening and Parker Holmstrom had the other Farmington hits in the victory.

Bobby Eckert 3 RBI in opener (photo by J. Lindquist)
Shakopee scored three runs off Tiger starter JD Hinks in the first inning and never trailed in the night cap. The Tigers pulled to within 4-3 after four innings but the Sabers scored three insurance runs over the final three innings to preserve the win.

Hinks worked the first four innings and absorbed the pitching loss. Lipinski (2 innings) and Kevin Olund (1 innings) each worked in relief.

Lugowski made it a six-hit day with two more safeties, giving him 10 hits in 14 at-bats for the week, a batting average of .714. Lugowksi drove in a run as did Jordan DeCroock.

The Tigers close the regular season Tuesday night against Hastings in a game to played under the lights in Miesville. Section 1AAA post-season play begins later in the week.

"I think we can do some damage there," Winters said.