15 May 2013

Baseball: Tigers split with Hawks

Jared Lipinski 2-3, winning pitcher in the opener (photo by Jim Lindquist)
The Tigers rallied for a 5-4 win over Chaska in the opening game of a Missota Conference doubleheader Tuesday at Tiger Field but had no answer for the Hawks in a 10-0 loss in the second.

The split leaves the two teams tied in the conference standings with identical 6-6 records with two games to play.

"Game one was a cleanly played, exciting back and forth battle," coach Mike Winters said. "and we were fortunate enough to come out on top...Game two we kicked it around in the first two innings and never recovered."

The Tigers led  2-1 in the opener on Jared Lipinski's two-run double in the second before starter Spencer Merle ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up two runs and handing the ball over to Lipinski with the bases loaded and no outs.

The senior righthander was up to the task, getting out of the jam with only one more run scored and his team still in the game at 4-2.

Farmington won it in the bottom of the sixth on a single by Johnny Dittman, a double by Bobby Eckert, a walk to Merle, a RBI single by Nick Schoening and a clutch two-run single by Jordan Lugowski.

Lipinski held onto the lead to record the win, retiring six of the last seven batters he faced.

Jordan Lugowski 4-6 for the day (photo by Jim Lindquist)
Dittman, Eckert. Lipinski and Lugowksi each collected a pair of hits for the Tigers who rapped a dozen in the contest. Lipinski and Lugowksi each knocked in a pair of runs.

Lugowski had two more hits in game two but that was all the Tiger offense cold muster in the shutout loss. The game was stopped in the sixth inning by the ten-run rule.

The Hawks took advantage of four Farmington errors to score six runs in the first two innings and coasted to the win. The visitors roughed up starter JD Hinks and reliever Jordan DeCroock for 10 hits and 10 runs in five and two-thirds innings.

The Tigers close their regular season Thursday with a conference doubleheader at Shakopee. Post-season play begins next week.

For more of Jim Lindquist's photos from the game visit https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.502565033125612.1073741837.134625986586187&type=1