5-5, 2 rbi, pitching victory
(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Through its first three games the Tigers used pitching and defense to stay unbeaten. In their fourth, it was the offense that carried the day.
Farmington erupted for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to post a come-from-behind 9-4 Missota Conference victory at Chaska Tuesday afternoon.
The win left the girls tied with Chanhassen atop the conference standings with a perfect 4-0 mark.
"That's three times in our four games that the other team has led at some point of the game," Tiger coach Paul Harrington said, "but each time we have found a way to come back...This was our first road game and a big win for us."
The Tigers scored first with a run in the third inning on a double by Brooke Searles and back-to-back singles by Ashley Betzold and Allie Rice.
Chaska countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and another in the fourth.
A single by Betzold and a rbi double by Rice pulled the visitors to within a run in the fifth inning but heading into the their last at-bat the Tigers were staring at a 4-2 deficit.
Allie Rice
3-5, 3 rbi
(photo by Jim Lindquist)
That's about the time time the Farmington offense arrived on the scene.
"I think our bats must have stuck in rush hour traffic," Harrington said.
All in all, Farmington sent 11 batters to plate in the uprising and seven of them scored. Betzold had two hits in the inning, including a two-run single that closed out the scoring.
Taylor Yousse, Toni Hunsinger, Taylor Haakana, Mollly Berdan and Rice also had hits in the rally and Searles drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Betzold had a hitter's dream day, going 5-5 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in. Rice rapped three hits and also knocked in three runs.
Betzold earned her fourth pitching win of the young season, giving up a dozen hits to a good-hitting Chaska team. Farmington finished with a season-high 14 hits.
The defense made a season-high three errors but came up big when the Tigers wiggled their way out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation in the fourth with only run scored. Haakana's shoe-string catch of a fly ball in right field ended the Hawk threat.
Farmington will be looking for win No. 5 Thursday when it entertains New Prague at Tiger Field. Friday the Tigers travel to Rochester to take on Section 1 rival Mayo.
