Baseball: Hinks, Martinsen blank Irish

JD Hinks pitched five scoreless innings (photo by Jim Lindquist)

JD Hinks and Austin Martinsen combined on a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 non-conference win Friday afternoon in Rosemount.

The win was the fifth in the last six outings for Farmington and raised the Tigers' season record to 8-4 heading into Saturday's Missota Conference doubleheader at Chanhassen.

" It was a close, tense game where both teams pitched and played well enough to win," Tiger coach Jon Graff said. "We just managed to get more production at the plate with eight different guys getting hits."

Hinks pitched the first five innings against the Irish, allowing just three hits while striking out three and walking one in picking up the win.

Martinsen gave up a hit and a walk in two scoreless innings of relief, wriggling out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the sixth to record the save.

"The story was definitely the pitching," Graff said. "Hinks pitched great again tonight. His curve ball was the best it has been all year."

Parker Holmstrom drove in the game's only runs (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington scored the game's only runs in the top of the second inning on successive singles by Robert Kramer. Nick Schoening, Jordan Beschorner and Parker Holmstrom who chased home both scores.

Outfielder Jordan DeCroock helped the cause with two diving catches that squelched potential Irish scoring threats.

"Jordan made two great reads and broke hard," Graff said. "That really deflated them (Rosemount) a bit."

After Saturday's doubleheader at Chanhassen the Tigers have a busy upcoming week, playing five conference games in five days.