Tiger Scoreboard: June 1, 2013

(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Softball
Section 1AAA Finals
Farmington 7 Hastings 6
Tigers erased 6-3 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the seventh
Farmington 3 Hastings 1
Ashley Betzold pitched a four-hitter and rapped a RBI double

Tigers qualify for second straight state Class 3A tournament slated for Mankato next week and will face Section 7AAA champion Forest Lake Thursday morning at 9:00  a.m.

Check this site tomorrow for complete coverage of both section games.

Girls Lacrosse
Section 1 semifinals
Lakeville South 12 Farmington 6
Undefeated South snapped Farmington's six-game winning streak. Tigers finished the season with an 8-7 record.

Boys Golf: Tiger advance in Section 1AAA

Coach Holmes and Jake Jensen discuss shot strategy (photo by Terry Holmes)

The Tigers advanced to the final round of the Section 1AAA tournament with a seventh place finish in Thursday's opening round at Bellwood Golf Course in Hastings. The top eight in the 12-team field earned a berth in the second round slated for Monday back at Bellwood.

Lakeville North will take a nine-stroke lead into the final round after out-shooting runner-up Rochester John Marshall 309-318 on Thursday. Winona ranked third at 321, followed by Owatonna 326, Albert Lea 327, Red Wing 341, Farmington 348, Mayo 349, Faribault 350, Austin 352, Northfield 354 and Rochester John Marshall 373.

"We were without Jake Trippel who was out with the flu," coach Jon Holmes said, "and that is too bad because he is a solid player who most likely would have supplied another score in the low 80's for us.

"When we finished I knew the scores would be a little higher due to the wind, rain and mud, but I didn't think we were a shoe-in by any means to get to Monday. Our scores were high and obviously so were everyone else’s... I was proud of how the boys stuck with their rounds.'

Erik Holmstrom and Darby Grengs had the low Tiger rounds of the day, finishing at 85 and 87 respectively.  Jake Jensen and Garrett Heidelberger shot 88, Grant Hauswirth 89 and Nate Anderson 94.

Holmes said his team is looking forward to its return trip to Bellwood Oaks and hopefully some better playing conditions.

"This will give some much needed experience to our young team and be a nice added bonus for our exiting seniors to have one more shot," he said.

Tiger Scoreboard: May 31, 2013

Boys Golf
Section 1AA first round at Bellwood Oaks Golf Course
Lakeville North 309, Rochester Century 318, Winona 321, Owatonna 326, Albert Lea 327, Red Wing 341, Farmington 348,  Rochester Mayo 349, Faribault 350, Austin 352, Northfield 354, Rochester John Marshall 373

Girls Golf
Section 1AA first round at Cannon Falls Golf Club
Northfield 356, Red Wing 356, Lakeville North 359, Rochester Mayo 359, Owatonna 377, Winona 383, Albert Lea 398, Austin 408, Rochester John Marshall 421, Faribault 433, Farmington 474, Rochester Century 489

Softball: Still in the hunt

Carly Esselman 2 RBI vs. Hastings (photo by J Lindquist)

Farmington remained in the hunt to defend its Section 1AAA championship after a split of post-season games Tuesday in Austin.

The top-seeded Tigers dropped a tough 3-2, eight-inning decision to Hastings in the winners' bracket finals and then eased by Winona 5-3 in the loser's bracket to set op a rematch with Hastings for the section crown.

The Tigers and Raiders will meet at 3:30 Friday in Northfield in the double elimination tournament. A Farmington win would set up a second game at 5:30 with a berth in next week's state tournament on the line.

Hastings 3 Farmington 2
Tiger coach Paul Harrington said his team needed to play better defense if it was to make a return trip to state and in the loss to the Raiders that didn't happen.

Five Tiger errors contributed to a pair of unearned runs, the last coming in the top of the eighth inning after the locals had battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the count in the home half of the seventh.

"We didn't get our first hit until the fifth inning," Harrington said, "and our defense let down and gave them too many opportunities. We need to minimize our errors if we expect to win the section. 

"Pitching and defense wins games.  We had the pitching, but the support behind Ashley (Betzold) was not sufficient."

Maddie Muelken singled and Molly Berdan walked to start the seventh inning rally. Jordyn Keprios sacrificed the runners over and Carly Esselman singled up the middle to send the game into extra innings.

The Tigers had other chances including the third inning when they hit into a double play with runners on first and second and another in the fifth when they left the bases loaded. They also managed
two-out hits by Amber Doyle and Toni Hunsinger in the eighth but could not push the tying run across.

Betzold went the distance in the circle and gave up just one earned run. Doyle led the offense with a pair of singles.

Molly Berdan 2-run double vs. Winona (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington 5 Winona 3
The Tigers didn't get much time to dwell on their loss as they immediately squared off against Winona, a 9-4 winner over Rochester Century earlier in the day.

The contest was a rematch of last week's second round game between the two teams won by Farmington 6-2.

The bats got off to another slow start but finally managed to break the scoring ice in the top of the fifth when Betzold doubled and pinch runner Ashley Ibinger scored on Hunsinger's single.

Farmington broke the game open in the sixth, scoring four times. Molly Berdan drove in two runs with a double and Doyle and Mackenzie Bauer each added run-scoring hits in the inning.

Esselman, Betzold, Doyle and Keprios each rapped a pair of hits hits as the Tigers finished with an even dozen.

Betzold picked up the pitching win, scattering seven hits.

"It's always tough to play right after losing a game like we did to Hastings," Harrington said, "especially against a team who has just one game.

"We give our kids a lot of credit. They played hard and finally got to their pitcher in the fifth. Up to then it seemed like we were snake-bit, hitting line drives at someone to end innings...It was a huge victory for us, giving us a chance to play another day."

Boys Lacrosse: Tigers out in section quarterfinals

Matt Heinzerling 19 saves in season finale (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Rochester Century squeaked by the Tigers 7-6 in the second game of the 2013 regular season in Rochester.

That victory undoubtedly led to the Panthers gaining the No. 4 seed and home field advantage in  Tuesday night's rematch in the Section 1 quarterfinals.

Fifth-seeded Farmington put together an inspiring 5-2 second half run but could not overcome a four-goal halftime deficit in another heart-breaker, this one by a 9-8 count.

The one-goal loss was the fifth time this season Farmington came up a goal short.

The teams battled through an offensive-minded first period that saw the Panthers forge a 4-3 lead. The second period proved to be the back-breaker as Century added three more scores while keeping the Tigers off the board.

Jake Bauman returned to the Tiger lineup and along with Garrett Gunderson had two goals and an assist to lead the Farmington attack. Chris Fitzgibbons also scored twice in the season-ending contest.

Dan Block scored a goal and added two assists. Brendan Berg, the team's leading scorer during the regular season with 58 points, finished with a goal and an assist and Kevin Clifton added an assist.

Goalkeeper Matt Heinzerling faced 28 shots in the contest, finishing with 19 saves.

The Tigers finished the 2013 campaign with a 8-6 record, their second straight season above the .500 mark.

Jake Bauman 2 goals, assist (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Girls Lacrosse: On to the section semis

Farmington advanced to the section semifinals for the 1st time (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers kicked off their post-season in fine fashion Tuesday night, rolling by Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes 12-8 in the Section 1 quarterfinals at Tiger Stadium.

With the victory fourth-seeded Farmington advanced to the section semifinals Friday afternoon against top-seeded Lakeville South at Lakeville North.

"The girls were ready to play," coach Dan Pickens said. "They came out fast and strong.  Shelby Klotz fired in two early goals and we never looked back."

A huge first half carried the day for the Tigers as they hit the break with a commanding 10-2 lead.

Rachael Welzin 4 goals, assist (photo by Jim Lindquist)

"The girls won 65 percent of the draws tonight which got us possession," Pickens said. "This is what makes or breaks a game. we had the intensity and communication to possess the ball for most of the night."

The Tigers' top scorers for the season--Klotz, Rachael Welzin, Brooke Genzler and Ashley Steffes--scored all 12 of the Farmington goals with Klotz and Welzin leading the way with four apiece.  Genzler and Steffes each scored twice.

Welzin added an assist as did Kylee Glen, Michaela Tonsager, Lindsay Benson and Shaye Jenrich. 

Maddie Kohlbeck 12 saves (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Goalie Maddie Kohlbeck had a big night in the nets for the winners, stopping 12 of the 20 shots she faced.

"Credit Maddie with help putting the get out of reach with some great saves in the first half," Pickens said.

The victory celebration was muted somewhat by an injury to defender Jenrich who went down with a knee injury after being pushed out of bounds near the Tiger bench. Pickens said the injury will likely keep her out the remainder of the playoffs.

"We will need a girl to step up and take her role," Pickens said.

The Tigers (8-6) who will take a six-game winning streak into Friday's match-up with South (11-0) will have their hands full with the Cougars who defeated them 17-7 early in the season.

"We have two big practices to get ready," Pickens said. "We'll be ready."

Shelby Klotz 4 goals vs. JM (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Scoreboard: Tuesday, May 28th

Softball
Section 1AAA finals (winner's bracket) at Austin
Hastings 3 Farmington 2 (8 Innings)

Section 1AAA consolation at Austin
Farmington 5 Winona 3

Tigers Softball will play Hastings on Thursday, 5/30 - 4:00pm (Austin Todd Park).  Winner will advance to the Class AAA State Tournament! Tigers will need to defeat Hastings twice to advance.

Boys' Lacrosse
Section 1 Quarterfinals
Rochester Century 9 Farmington 8


Girls' Lacrosse
Section 1 Quarterfinals
Farmington 12 Rochester JM/Lourdes 8

Tigers advance to the Section 1 Semifinals on Friday, May 31st - 4:00pm against #1 Lakeville South @ Lakeville North HS.

Boys' Golf

Boys Track: Back on top of the Missota

Conference 1600-meter champ Justin Hyytinen (photo by J. Lindquist)

Farmington used its depth and some gritty performances to win its third Missota Conference championship in seven years and their first since 2009.

The Tigers rolled up 192 points to claim the crown with Chanhassen finishing second with 159.  Chaska finished third at 137, followed by New Prague 126, Shakopee 82, Red Wing 71, Northfield 68 and Academy of Holy Angels 62.

"Our goal was finishing in top three," coach Brian Helmstetter said. "We were sixth last year so that is obviously a an improvement... We also had a goal to get two or three on the podium (top nine) vs none or one. That is how you win championships...I am very proud of these boys."

The Tigers set a championship tone from the very first race, roaring to a win in the 4x800 relay with Tyler Lerbakken, Sean Dougherty, Devon Webb and Jared Wolt dominating the field in 8:11.84..

Farmington wold go on to win three more events. Distance standout Justin Hyytinen who had a marathon of a day, won the 1600-meter run in 4:32.24. The fleet-footed sophomore also finished runner-up in the 3200-meter run and ran a leg on the second place 4x400 relay team.

300-meter hurdle champion Nehemiah Rockett  (photo by J. Lindquist)

Sophomore Nehemiah Rockett, who also had an outstanding day, scored the other Farmington first with a win in the 300-meter hurdles in 41.01. Rockett also ranked third in the 100-meter hurdles and ninth in the triple jump.

The 4x200 relay team of Mason Auge, Ryan Parco, Tommy Weigel and Tanner Grubb brought home the other gold medal, winning in 1:32.20.

Grubb took second in the open 200 meters and teamed up with Lerbakken, Hyytinen and Weigel to finish runner-up in the 4x400 relay. Weigel later added fourth place points in the 400-meter run.

Auge added to his day's impressive list of accomplishments with a fourth place finish in the 100-meter dash and an anchor leg on the 4x100 relay with teammates Derek Klotter, Sean McHenry and Alex Chadwick.

Dan Berg got on the stand for three awards: sixth place in the high jump and 300 hurdles and ninth in the 110-meter hurdles.

Wyatt Ferm, Conner Phu and and Mason Gaylord all supplied valuable points in the field events with Ferm taking third in the high jump; Phu fourth in the pole vault and Gaylord fifth in the triple jump.

In one of the big races  late in the meet, one that netted Farmington 18 team points, Lerbakken, Webb and Wolt finished 3-4-5 in the 800-meter run

All in all, 25 different athletes contributed points to the team's total. Of the 14 individuals events, the Tigers placed multiple athletes on the award stand in eight of them.

Tanner Grubb anchored winning 4x200 relay (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Helmsttetter especially singled out the performances of senior Adam Wallenta who cut 23 seconds off his personal best time to take sixth at 3200 meters and his six-man throwing team of Tanner Thode, Michael Husnick, Godfrey Mpetey, CJ Wynings, Brendan King and Alexander Burton.

 "To get three throwers on the award stand in each event was incredible," Helmstetter said.

Thode, Husnick and Mpetey ranked third, seventh and ninth in the shot put while Wynings, King and Burton took third, fourth and seventh in the discus.

"If you were to look at just individual improvements from last year to this year, it is impressive," Helmstetter said. "Across every event these guys have improved.  

"An important piece to this year has also been adjusting our coaching positions. We were able to hold on to some positions by making them part-time which allowed us to add additional coaches in other events. Our kids are getting attention from many different coaches and that is only positive."

Next up for the Tigers is the Section 1AA meet slated for Lakeville South this Thursday and Saturday.

2103 Missota Conference Boys Track Champions

Softball: Staying right on track

Amber Doyle 5 RBI in first two section games (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The top-seeded Tigers remained on track for a return trip to the state tournament with solid wins in their first two games in Section 1AAA post-season play.

Thursday at Tiger Field coach Paul Harrington's team dispensed with Rochester Century 10-0 in a game halted after five innings by the 10-run rule. Friday in Austin they advanced to the winners' bracket final with a 6-2 victory over Winona.

"We still have a ways to go," Harrington said. "We need to shore up our defense and be better at the little things that win ball games, but we are where we want to be right now."

Farmington (17-4) will now take on third-seeded Hastings (14-6) Tuesday in Austin. The Raiders defeated Rochester John Marshall 2-1 in their semifinal game.

In Friday's win over Winona, the Tigers broke up a scoreless tie with a big four-run second inning where they sent nine batters to the plate.

Maddie Muelken started the rally with a single, advanced on an error and scored on a single by Jordyn Keprios. After Carly Esselman reached on a fielder's choice, Taylor Yousse delivered a runs-scoring hit and Amber Doyle capped off the inning with a two-run single up the middle.

Ashley Betzold pitching win, 2-run homer vs. Winona (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington extended its lead to 6-0 in the fourth on a single by Yousse and Ashley Betzold's homer over the centerfield fence.

The Winhawks scored their runs in the top of the fifth on a walk and a two-run homer by catcher Justine Schultz.

Yousse had three hits in four trips to the plate to lead the nine-hit Farmington offense. Doyle and Betzold each had a pair of hits and two runs batted in.

Betzold pitched the complete game victory, allowing three hits while striking out five and walking one.

The Tigers advanced to Austin with the quarterfinal blowout win over Century, a 5-3 winner over Rochester Mayo, earlier in the day.

Farmington scored six times in the opening inning to put the game away early for Betzold who gave up two hits and struck out five in posting the shutout.

Doyle, Esselman, Keprios and Molly Berdan each had a pair of hits for the winners. Doyle drove in three runs and Esselman, Berdan and Keprios each rapped doubles.

The winner of Tuesday's game with Hastings advances to the championship round of the double elimination tournament. The finals are scheduled for Thursday back in Austin.

Taylor Yousse 3 hits, run vs. Winona (photo by Jim Lindquist

Girls Track: Runner-up in the Missota

Maria Kiminski anchored the winning 4x800 relay team (photo by J. Lindquist)

Despite injuries to a couple of major point producers the Tigers were able to post a second place finish at the Missota Conference Championships held Thursday in Chanhassen.

All-state hurdler and long jumper Nadia Lorencz missed the entire meet nursing an ankle injury and defending conference 400-meter Isabelle Ferm had to sit out her last two events after re-injuring her hip.

"There were definitely some points lost there but I am very pleased with how the girls stepped up today," coach Tom Hart said. "They came to compete and there we had pr's all over the place. It was a very good day for us."

Chanhassen successfully defended its 2012 title with 214.5 points. The Tigers totaled 145, followed by New Prague 121, Shakopee 111, Chaska 86.5, Northfield 82, Red Wing 71, and Academy of Holy Angels 67

Farmington won four events with the 4x800 relay team of Alicia Hett, Sofia Chadwick, Alex Frost and Maria Kiminski getting the Tigers off to a fast start with a win in the meet's opening event.

"Their goal was 9:40 and they came in at 9:41," Hart said. "It will be interesting to see what they can do in the section."

Megan Graham anchored 2 Top 3 relay teams (photo by J. Lindquist)

The Tigers made it bookend relay wins with a victory in the last race of the day, the 4x400. With Ferm out after hurting herself in her second place finish in the 400-meter run, the quartet of Kiminski, Hett, Jennifer Miller and Megan Graham ran a season-best time of 4:02.97 to grab the gold.

Before her injury in the 400 meters, Ferm won the triple jump title with a leap of 34-10.25.

The fourth first came from thrower Aly Grebner who won the event with a toss of 34-8.25. Grebner also placed in two other field events, taking fourth in both the discus and the high jump.

In addition to Ferm's runner-up finish in the 400 meters, the Tigers scored second place points in two other events: Morgan Cecchettini in the long jump and the 4x100 relay team of Kelli Elmer, Nicole Doran, Cecchittini and Emma Record.

The 4x200 relay foursome of Racquel Beckett, Miller, Courtney Johnston and Graham placed third as did Destiny Schmitz in the triple jump.

Kiminski ranked fourth in the 300-meter hurdles and Graham took fourth in the 400-meter run.

Maricia Pacheco placed fifth in the 3200-meter distance event and Schmitz and Kelsey Lindell tied for fifth in the high jump. Record and Hett were sixth in the 100-meter dash and 800-meter run respectively.

Elizabeth Welter finished seventh in the long jump. Cecchittini added a ninth place finish in the 100-meter dash and Record took ninth in the 200-meter dash.

The Tigers now turn their attention to next week's Section 1AA Championships to be held Thursday and Saturday at Lakeville South.

"We'll be finalizing relay teams and trying to get everyone healthy," Hart said.

Kelsey Lindell tied for 5th in high jump (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Boys Lacrosse: Making a statement

Brendan Berg 11 goals 5 assists in two games (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington posted back-to-back road wins over St. Cloud Tech and Simley to cap a hectic closing week to the 2013 regular season.

The streaking Tigers went 3-1 in the four games-in-five days stretch, making it five victories in the last six outings for coach Paul Sorensen's team. The Tigers will take a final 8-5 record into next week's Section 1 post-season tournament.

At St. Cloud State University on Thursday the visitors rolled to the win over a team they had defeated 14-1 the previous week at Tiger Stadium.

"We played well but still need to shore up our transition game," coach Paul Sorensen said. "We were slow on transition defense and transition offense and got out of position at times.

"But overall it was a solid game and it was good to get a rotation of guys in the game. Every one produced. It's nice to take care of business against teams we should handle."

Brendan Berg filled up the score book for the Tigers, finishing with an eye-catching 11 points on seven goals and four assists.

Kevin Clifton, Garrett Gunderson and Corey Rudrud each added a pair of goals and Ryan Cole, Alex Schrafft and Caleb Hakala scored once. Cole and Mitch Hilton recorded two assists apiece and Schrafft, Michael Thompson, Chris Fitzgibbons and Alex Kelly each had one.

Mark Heinzerling worked the Tiger nets for the first three quarters, giving up three goals on 11 shots. Kyle Kratz took over in the final period and surrendered the final two Tech goals.

In Friday night's win at Simley the Tigers roared to a 10-0 halftime lead on the way to a comfortable 12-7 victory.

Garrett Gunderson 4 goals, 1 assists (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Berg again led the offense with four goals and an assist. Gunderson had a pair of scores and Richard Halverson, Hilton, Fitzgibbons, Schrafft, Clifton and Cole each netted one.

Hilton assisted on two goals while Gunderson, Halverson, Fitzgibbons, Clifton and Schrafft handed out one apiece.

Heinzerling handled the goalie chores in the first half and finished his abbreviated night with eight saves. Kratz stepped in and worked the second half and picked up four saves.

The Tigers open Section 1 post-season play Tuesday night against Rochester Century (6-7) in Rochester. The Panthers defeated the Tigers 7-6 early in the regular season.

Girls Lacrosse: Building momentum

Shelby Klotz scored the game-winner with 13 seconds to play (photo by J. Lindquist)

If momentum is an important factor in post-season success, the Tigers have set themselves up for a good run in the Section 1 tournament.

Farmington closed the books on its 2013 regular season with a 10-9 win at Hill-Murray Thursday night, coach Dan Pickens' team's fifth win in a row after starting the year 2-6.

"We were able to find a way to win this game just like we have been doing the second half of this season," Pickens said.  "The girls battled themselves for most of the game, not stringing together passes like we have been doing but were still able to mount a second half comeback."

The Pioneers led 6-4 at intermission before the Tigers rallied for a 9-7 advantage with three minutes remaining in regulation. A couple of turnovers led to the tying goals with less than a  minute to go to set up a dramatic finish.

The Tigers won the ensuing draw and Lindsay Benson fed Shelby Klotz who netted the game-winner with just 13.7 seconds left on the clock.

Klotz's goal was her fourth of the night. Rachael Welzin added three more and also had an assist. Brooke Genzler, Jessica Herrera and Delaney Johnson also recorded goals for the winners.  Benson and Michaela Tonsager each added assists.

Goalkeeper Maddie Kohlbeck picked up her seventh with of the season, stopping 11 of 20 Pioneer shots.

The Tigers open post-season play Tuesday night with a home game versus Rochester John Marshall.
They topped the Rockets 12-11 when the teams met in Rochester during the regular season.

Lindsay Benson assisted on game-winning goal (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Baseball: Nothing doing in section loss

Nick Schoening 1-3 in season finale (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers concluded a run-less week with a 2-0 loss to Rochester John Marshall Thursday night in Rochester in the opening round of the Section 1AAA tournament. Farmington ended its regular season with a 3-0 loss to Hastings Tuesday night.

The post-season loss brought down the curtain on the 2013 season that saw coach Mike Winters' squad finish with a 7-11 mark, 7-7 in the Missota Conference.

"We just couldn't get anything going against JM," Winters said, "They  had two line drives go over our heads and that proved to be the difference. 

"Jordan Beschorner pitched well and gave us a legitimate chance to win. That's all you can hope for."

Beschorner continued what has been a solid spring for the Tiger pitching staff, scattering five hits and allowing just one earned run over six innings.

The Rockets nicked Beschorner for a run on two hits in the third inning and then added an unearned score in the sixth to account for all of the scoring.

Farmington threatened in the second when Bobby Eckert and Jordan DeCroock singled and again in the sixth when Spencer Merle stroked a two-out double but couldn't deliver the big hit when needed.

Nick Schoening and Zach Speikers had the other Tiger hits in the season-ending loss.

"Mother Nature messed with us this spring," Winters said, "but our kids' work ethic, attitude, effort, and personality were phenomenal.  This was definitely one of my most enjoyable seasons."

Spencer Merle two-out double in the sixth (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Boys Tennis : Season ends in Rochester

Jake Bauer lost a marathon 6-7, 7-6, 2-6 decision

The Tigers' 2013 season officially met the end of the road Thursday in Rochester as all four Farmington entries fell in the opening round of the Section 1AA individual tournament.

"We did not do as well as we had hoped," Farmington coach Jack Olwell said.

The best showing of the day for the Tigers came from seventh-grader Jake Bauer who lost a three-hour marathon 6-7, 7-6, 2-6 decision to an opponent from  Owatonna.

"It was more or less a battle of attrition with a lot of unforced errors," Olwell said, "but it was there for the taking."

Freshman Bennett Lagro also had some opportunities in a 4-6, 2-6 loss to the No.1 doubles player from Rochester Mayo.

Austin Tremmel and Trent Kortenbusch lost 1-6 0-6 to Owatonna's top doubles team and Austin Rau and Grady Hauswirth fell 0-6, 0-6 to a tandem from Red Wing.

Tiger Scoreboard: May 25, 2013

Softball
Section 1AAA semifinals (winner's bracket) at Austin
Farmington 6 Winona 2

Boys Lacrosse
Farmington 12 Simley 7

Tiger Scoreboard: May 24, 2013

(SEE COMPLETE STORIES HERE TOMORROW) 

Boys Track
Missota Conference Championships at Chanhassen
Farmington 192, Chanhassen 159,  Chaska 137, New Prague 126,  Shakopee 82, Red Wing 71, Northfield 68, Academy of Holy Angels 62
Missota Conference Champions:
4x800 meter relay: Tyler Lerbakken, Adam Dougherty, Devon Webb, Jared Wolt
4x200 meter relay: Mason Auge, Ryan Parco, Tommy Weigel, Tanner Grubb
1600-meter run: Justin Hyytinen
300 intermediate hurdles: Nehemiah Rockett

Girls Track
Missota Conference Championships at Chanhassen
Chanhassen 214.50,  Farmington 145, New Prague 121, Shakopee 111, Chaska 86.50, Northfield 82, Red Wing 71, Academy of Holy Angels 67
Missota Conference Champions:
4x800 relay: Alicia Hett, Sofia Chadwick, Alex Frost, Maria Kiminski
4x400 meter relay: Kiminski, Hett, Jennifer Miller, Megan Graham 
Triple Jump: Isabelle Ferm
Shot Put: Aly Grebner

Softball
Section 1AAA quarterfinals
Farmington 10 Rochester Century 0 (5 innings)
Ashley Betzold 5IP, 2H, 0R,5K
Amber Doyle 2-3, 3 RBI
Carly Esselman 2-3, 2B, R
Molly Berdan 2-2, 2B, RBI, R
Jordyn Keprios 2-2, 2B, RBI

Baseball
Section 1AAA opening round
Jordan Beschorner 6IP, 5H, 1ER
Spencer Merle 2B
Rochester John Marshall 2 Farmington 0

Boys Lacrosse
Farmington 17 St. Cloud Tech 5
Brendan Berg 7 goals, 4 assists
Kevin Clifton 2 goals
Corey Rudrud 2 goals
Garrett Gunderson 2 goals
Matt Heinzerling 11 shots; 8 saves

Girls Lacrosse
Farmington 10 Hill-Murray 9
Tigers wins 5th straight

Baseball: Raiders blank Tigers in season finale

JD Hinks gave up three runs in five innings (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hastings spoiled the Tigers' opportunity to play on the Miesville Mudhens "Field of Dreams", blanking then 3-0 Tuesday night under the lights at Jack Ruhr Field.

The loss in the regular season finale, leaves Farmington with a 7-10 record heading into the opening round of the Section 1AAA playoffs on Thursday.

Farmington finished with a 7-7 record in a tough Missota Conference schedule but couldn't manage much offense in three non-conference losses, scoring just four total runs.

Tuesday the Tiger bats went mute against the Raider's Robert Roddy who stymied Mike Winters on just two hits, singles by Kyle Mayer and Parker Holmstrom.

Parker Holmstrom had 1 of 2 Tiger hits (photo by J. Lindquist)

"I thought our effort and defense were good," coach Mike Winters said, "but we were very flat and quiet from the get-go...We just never got it going. The boys did do a good job of staying aggressive and hitting early in the count; unfortunately we didn't hit the ball very hard."

Farmington starter JD Hinks allowed the three Raider runs on seven hits in five innings on the mound. Jared Lipinksi hurled an inning of one-hit relief.

Hastings scored the only run it would need in the home half of the first and then added a couple of insurance scores in the bottom of the third.

The Tigers will open Section 1AAA play tomorrow against an opponent and at a site to be determined by seeding later today (Wednesday). When brackets are announced they will be posted at
http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/doubleelim.asp?bracket=6396&tournid=33

Boys Lacrosse: Mayo halts Tiger win streak

Corey Rudrud 4 goals, 2 assists (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Section 1 rival Rochester Mayo held off a late Farmington rally to post a 12-11 win Tuesday night at the Rochester Regional Sports Center.

The loss snapped the Tigers' second three-game winning streak of the 2013 season and dropped their overall record to 6-5.

The Spartans got the better of the play in the opening half and hit the break with a 7-5 lead. Mayo extended its edge to 11-7 after three periods before the visitors outscored the Spartans 4-1 over the final 12 minutes.

"We played tough all night long" coach Paul Sorensen said. "We made some key transitional defensive mistakes and didn't capitalize on some chances. We turned up our defensive intensity after the first half and that put us back in contention."

The Tigers had a late chance to tie the game but Garrett Gunderson's shot went wide of the mark as time expired.

Corey Rudrud (4 goals, 2 assists) and Brendan Berg (2 goals, 2 assists) combined for 10 points to lead the Farmington offensive attack.

Chris Fitzgibbons added two scores and an assist and Mitch Hilton, Michael Thompson and Kevin Clifton each cored once in the losing effort. Hilton added a pair of assists to his individual stat sheet and Garret Gunderson had one.

Matt Heinzerling guarded the Tiger net and stopped 12 of the 24 shots sent his way.

The loss hurt the Tigers' chances for gaining the top seed in the post-season tournament but Sorensen feels his team will be up to the challenge in the sections.

"We've lost three games to section opponents and they all came without us having the services of arguably our top midfielder in Jake Bauman who is out with a concussion," Sorensen said. "If we can finish strong we can make a case for the No. 2 seed behind Mayo."

Four of Farmington's five losses this season have been by one goal.

The Tigers close the regular season with back-to-back road games later this week, Thursday at St. Cloud Tech and Friday at Simley.  Section play begins next week.

Girls Lacrosse: Streaking Tigers win 4th straight

Rathminee Hach 1st career goal (photo by J. Lindquist)

Things couldn't have turned out much better for Senior Night at Tiger Field.

First and foremost, the streaking Tigers made it four in a row with a 16-2 pounding of section rival Rochester Mayo. In doing so, nine different players  scored goals, three them for the first time in their varsity careers.

And for a little icing on the victory cake, one of those players, Rathminee Hach, the team's only senior, netted her first career goal.


"Another great team effort on a very special senior night," coach Dan Pickens said.  "We moved and possessed the ball the best we have in four years.  

"We seemed to have reached a level where we have confidence in our ability and trust each other all over the field.  I am very proud of how far these girls have come."

The contest was decided early as the Tigers roared to an 8-1 halftime lead. Despite going deep into the bench in the second half, the Farmington goals kept coming.


"We have started to turn into the team that we used to watch in awe two years ago," Pickens said. "They moved the ball around us with ease."     

Shelby Klotz 4 goals, 2 assists (photo by J. Lindquist)

Shelby Klotz (4 goals, 2 assists) and Rachael Welzin (3 goals, 3 assists) continued to pace the increasingly potent Farmington offense. 

Ashley Steffes scored three times and Brooke Genzler, Shaye Jenrich, Delaney Johnson Jessica Herrera, Kaitlyn LaCroiz and Hach each scored once. For Jenrich,  Lacroix and Hach it was their first career score. 

Genzler added three assists, Michaela Tonsager two and Kaeli Halverson one for the winners who recorded a season-high 11 in the contest.

Maddie Kohlbeck patrolled the Tiger net in the first half and recorded five saves. Scootie Donnelly took over in the second half and stopped three of the four shots she faced.

The Tigers will look to make it five a row Thursday when they travel to Maplewood to take on Hill-Murray in the regular season finale.  Section 1 play begins next week.

Rachael Welzin 3 goals, 3 assists (photo by J. Lindquist)