Baseball: Best in years

Parker Holmstrom: MVP, All-Missota Conference, Top Gun (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Prior to the start of his first year as head coach Jon Graff said he felt that if he and his team focused on the process and took care of business positive results would follow. Looking back on the 2014 season it looks like they did.

The Tigers finished the season with an 11-9 record (6-8 in the Missota Conference), their best since tying for the Missota Conference championship and advancing to the Section 1AA Final Four in 2006.

"I can honestly say we lived up to our potential," Graff said. "We made some errors and everything wasn't always perfect, but that's baseball.

"We played to the best of our abilities and had fun doing it. We played a lot of good baseball and when things did go wrong, we did a good job of battling through adversity."

Graff and his staff awarded 14 letters to members of the team at its post-season banquet. Monorgam winners included  seniors JD Hinks, Landon Neilsen, Jordan DeCroock, Jordan Beschorner, Johnny Dittman, Ryan Gebel, Nick Schoening, Kyle Johnson and Tyler Clayton and juniors Parker Holmstrom, Austin Martinsen, Bobby Eckert, Maverick Carlson and Robert Kramer.

MVP Holmstrom who hit a team-high .382 and went 4-2 pitching with a 2.03 earned run average and Dittman (.299 average) landed spots on the all-Missota Conference team. Hinks (4-1, 1.75 ERA) and 1Martinsen (team-best 15 RBI) received all-league honorable mention.

Holmstrom also received the Top Gun Award as the top pitcher while DeCroock (.359 average) took home "Batting Champ" honors. The Mr. D award went to Dittman and Johnson and Clayton shared the Tiger Award for attitude and work ethic.

Johnny Dittman: All-Missota Conference, Mr. D (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Graff said improved pitching (team ERA of 3.48) and hitting (team average of .302) stood out as primary reasons for the team's success.

"Hinks and Holmstrom had rock solid years pitching and we improved our team batting average 40 points from last year," he said.

Graff also liked the variety of ways his team was able to put together wins: blowouts, nail-biters and those of the come-from-behind variety.

"Lastly, the kids were a highlight," he said, "They made my first year both enjoyable and memorable. They played the game the right way, cared for each other and really believed in themselves. They were just great."

As far as disappointments, Graff said only one one stood out.

"Losing our first section game (4-3) to Lakeville South hurt," he said. "But South played a tough schedule all year and they took advantage of what we gave them. We almost battled all the way back but we just came up a little short."

Losing nine seniors will create a vacuum but the Tiger coach said next year's cupboard will not be entirely bare.

"We'll have a good core returning and some others who we will look to step into new roles.," he said. "We're also getting a little deeper at the younger levels which should help competition for positions. We'll have good pitching depth again...We should be just fine."

Next year will also bring about a major change in the regular season schedule as the Tigers move to the South Suburban Conference.

"The Missota is a good baseball conference but the South Suburban is deeper with some of the best teams in the state," Graff said. "There won't be any easy games, that for sure."

Baseball: Cougars upset Tigers in section

Jordan DeCroock scored the third Tiger run (photo by Jim Lindquist)

An otherwise solid season came to a disappointing end Thursday afternoon at Tiger Field where No. 12 seed Lakeville South edged the fifth-seeded Tigers 4-3 in the opening round of the Section 1AAA tournament.

The Cougars scored all of their runs in the top half of the first inning, parlaying three hits, a walk and an infield error into four scores.

"Every loss is tough, but losing a section game by one run hurts, especially when we battled to get back into it," Farmington coach Jon Graff said. "It takes a little longer to get over games like these."

Farmington pulled to within 2-1 in the third inning on a double by Austin Martinsen and a run-scoring single by Ryan Giebel and then made it a one-run game with a two-run fifth.

Johnny Dittman stroked a one-out double and Jordan DeCroock followed with a RBI single. DeCroock moved to second on a wild pitch and raced home on Landon Neilsen's single.

But that was the end of the offense as the Tigers went six-up-and-six-down over their final two at-bats.

Parker Holmstrom shut out the Cougars after the 1st inning (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The difference in the outcome turned out to be the South's ability to turn opportunities into runs.

"They had a couple balls in the first that just blooped in or found their way through the infield and they capitalized on them." Graff said. "That is something we didn't always do as we got guys into scoring position with no outs three different innings but failed to get them home."

Farmington outhit the Cougars 9-6 with DeCroock, Neilsen and Bobby Eckert each collecting two for the Tigers

Parker Holmstrom was the victim of the four-run South first in which only two of the runs were earned but he blanked the Cougars the rest of the way. The junior righthander struck out eight and walked only one.

"We knew we'd get a good game out of Parker and we did," Graff said. "He pitched so well all year."

The loss left the 2014 edition of Tiger baseball with an overall record of 11-9, its best season since 2006.

Graff said the loss will sting for a awhile but he didn't want it to diminish all that his team accomplished during his first season ad head coach.

"I am so proud of this team," he said. "For everything they did in this game and all year. It's a great group of young men.

"They supported each other, played the game the right way and made it easy to come to the field every day. I hate to see it end for them, especially for our seniors."

Bobby Eckert turns a double play (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tigers open section baseball at home

Farmington earned the fifth seed for the 12-team Section 1AAA baseball tournament and will play No. 12 seed Lakeville South Thursday at 5:00 at Tiger Field.

A victory there would propel the Tigers (11-8) into a second round match-up Saturday at No. 4 Northfield.

Complete brackets may be found at
 http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/doubleelim.asp?bracket=6396&tournid=33

Baseball: Tigers win season finale 3-2

Winning pitcher JD Hinks (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak and built a little momentum toward Thursday's Section 1AAA tournament opener with a 3-2 Missota Conference win over Holy Angels Tuesday afternoon at Donaldson Park in Richfield.

Farmington (11-8) used three pitchers and all were effective, allowing a total of just two hits and no earned runs. The victory raised the Tigers' final conference record to six wins and eight losses.

"The story of the game was pitching and capitalizing on the other team's mistakes for both teams," Farmington coach John Graff said.

"Each team had it's fair share of miscues. Besides a couple errors, we also missed a couple of signs and got caught stealing. Those things happen, but we've got to do a better job of limiting those mistakes so they don't hurt us in the sections."

The winners scored all three runs in the top of the third inning on two Stars errors, a fielder's choice ground ball and RBI doubles by Johnny Dittman and Jordan DeCroock.

Jordan DeCroock 2-4, RBI (photo by J. Lindquist)

Holy Angels helped the Farmington cause all afternoon, finishing the game with six fielding errors.

The Tigers finished the contest with just five hits, the two doubles and singles by Parker Holmstrom, Landon Neilsen and DeCroock.

JD Hicks worked the first three innings to pick up the pitching win, allowing one unearned run and striking out two.

Maverick Carlson hurled three innings of hitless relief and Austin Martinsen struck out two out of the four batters he faced in the seventh to record the save.

"...I'm proud of these guys," Graff said. "They've done a lot of things right and we finished with our best record since 2006. 

"As we head into sections it's the same thing I said at the beginning of the year.  We've got the pitching to do well.  But it's going to come down to making the plays behind them and getting more production at the plate."

The Tigers open section play at home on Thursday against an opponent to be determined by a seeding process. Pairings will be announced later today (Wednesday).

Baseball: End of a long week

Parker Holmstrom leads the team in hitting with a .410 average (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers roared into the week on a four-game winning streak but left it in a four-game losing skid after Friday's 9-0 Missota Conference loss to league champion New Prague at Tiger Field.

"I think the weekend and the prom coming up will give the kids a good escape from baseball," Farmington coach Jon Graff said. "We've packed a lot of games into a short time, including having baseball the last three Saturdays, and that can kind of be draining. 

"So I think this will be a good break where we can re-energize, regroup and get ready for a couple of games before sections start. Hopefully these two days will give us a chance to get healthy; we are really banged up right now."

The loss left the Tigers with a season record of 10-8 (5-8 in the Missota Conference) heading into the final two games of the regular season, Monday at Lakeville South and Tuesday at Holy Angels.

New Prague scored its first two runs in the second inning, added two more scores in the third and then padded their lead with five runs in its final two at-bats.

The Tigers managed just four singles in the contest, one each by Jordan DeCroock, Landon Neilsen, Ryan Giebel and Robert Kramer.

"We continue to struggle a little from the plate," Graff said. "But, at least we didn't bring our struggles there to our other parts of the game...I thought we had good hustle, backed up the plays well and really seemed to be in it- even when we got so far behind."

One bright spot in the loss was the pitching of Dylan Bergstad who completed five innings in his first varsity start, giving up four runs while striking our four and walking two.

"Dylan really showed some composure," Graff said. "He struggled a little early on with his curve, but after settling in, it really had some good break to it which made his fastball even more effective."

Jordan Beschorner gave up four runs on five hits in the sixth inning. Neilsen pitched the seventh and surrendered a hit and a run.

Baseball: Sabers down Tigers again

Johnny Dittman 2-3, 2B, Run (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Shakopee extended Farmington's losing streak to three games with a 5-1 Missota Conference win Thursday afternoon in Shakopee. 

The loss to the Sabers was the Tigers' second in as many days. Shakopee won Wednesday's match-up at Tiger Field 10-4.

"It's been a tough week so far," Tiger coach Jon Graff said, "but we knew coming in that we'd be facing the best the conference had to offer.

"The disappointing thing is that we're hurting ourselves too much. We can't continue to make the errors that we have been making- especially against good teams.  If we can just make the routine plays, we'll quit putting our pitchers in tough situations."

As was the case in Tuesday's loss, the Tigers dug themselves an early hole, falling behind 4-0 after two innings.

The Tigers didn't get on the board until the top of the sixth inning when Johnny Dittman doubled, his second hit of the game, and eventually scored on Jordan DeCroock's sacrifice fly to centerfield. 

Shakopee countered with the final run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth.

The Tigers actually outhit the Sabers 6-5 but a lack of hitting with men on base and four costly errors proved too much to overcome.

"Every error is more pitches we have to throw and more guys we have to work to keep from scoring," Graff said, "and right now we're not doing a good enough job of attacking the grounders and making good throws."

Parker Holmstrom pitched well in defeat, scattering five hits while striking out three batters and not issuing a walk.

"We've battled some injuries and shuffling of the line-up, but we have to do a better job of competing and bringing the energy and focus that we had earlier," Graff said. "We also have to get back to having more good, quality at-bats."

The Tigers will get a chance to do those things Friday when they host league-leading New Prague at Tiger Field.

Baseball: Slow start leads to loss

Ryan Giebel 3-4 vs. Shakopee

Farmington spotted Shakopee seven runs in the first two innings on the way to a 10-4 Missota Conference loss Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Field.

The hard-hitting Sabers roughed up three Tiger pitchers for 16 hits in handing the home team its second conference loss in as many days.

"We kind of dug ourselves a hole we couldn't get out of today," Tiger coach Jon Graff said. "We threw strikes but just got too much of the plate where they could drive it, which they did."

The Sabers led 10-0 heading into the home half of the fifth inning and looked like they would send everyone home early before the Tigers kept the game alive with a two-run rally.

The first run scored on JD Hinks' single and the second on a groundout by Parker Holmstrom.

Nick Schoening's sacrifice fly plated the third run in the sixth inning and singles by Holmstrom, Austin Martinsen and Landon Neilsen produced the fourth run in the bottom of the seventh.

"The kids could have cashed it in after falling down so much, but they didn't," Graff said. "There were no heads hanging, giving up or anything like that. We actually had some really good at bats and regained some confidence.

"It's easy to be positive and in the game when you're winning," Graff said, "but the tough teams stay in it when they're down. We did that. We battled. We didn't give in."

The Tigers finished with 12 hits, including three by Ryan Giebel and two apiece by Hinks and Johnny Dittman.

Maverick Carlson started on the mound for the Tigers and took the loss after allowing seven runs on 10 hits in two innings. Kyle Johnson surrendered three runs in three innings of relief. Neilsen finished up with two frames of scoreless ball.

The Tigers get another shot at the Sabers Thursday afternoon with a road game at Tahpah Park before closing out their busy week Frdiay with a home contest against New Prague.

Baseball: Hawks handle Tigers 9-1

Jordan DeCroock 2-3, 2B, R (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Farmington bats that produced 22 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Chanhassen last Saturday rapped nine more hits at Chaska on Monday but managed just one run in a 9-1 Missota Conference loss to the Hawks.

"This game was one where things just seemed to be a bit off," Tiger coach Jon Graff said. "We had a couple of base running mistakes, a rundown miscue, had trouble getting the ball back to the infield- just some random things that we weren't able to overcome. 

"We gave ourselves chances, getting guys on every inning- but we couldn't string enough together the way we have been doing."

The loss halted Farmington's four-game winning streak and left the Tigers with an overall mark of 10-5, including a 5-5 record in Missota Conference play.

The Hawks broke to a lead with a run in the first but the visitors responded with the tying score in the second on Jordan DeCroock's double and run-scoring single by Nick Schoening.

Chaska led 4-1 before plating five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull away.

DeCroock, Johnny Dittman and Ryan Giebel each had a pair of hits for the Tigers who finished with nine safeties.

JD Hinks pitched the first four innings for Farmington and was tagged with the loss, giving up the first two Chaska runs, one earned, on five hits. Parker Holmstrom allowed five runs on 10 hits over the final two frames.

The Tigers are back on the field Wednesday for a home game with Shakopee. Thursday the same two teams are scheduled for a rematch at Shakopee.

"We'll have to regroup and get back after it," Graff said. "We've got the pitching and hitting to be able to compete with anyone and I expect we'll bounce back nicely."

Baseball: Red-hot Tigers sweep Storm

Johnny Dittman's strong defense behind the plate aided in the sweep (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers continued their winning ways Saturday, sweeping a Missota Conference doubleheader at Chanhassen.

The visitors, who have now won seven of their last eight games, breezed to a 13-1 win in the opener behind the five-hit pitching of Parker Holmstrom and then outlasted the Storm 9-8 in the nightcap.

"It can be really tough to sweep a doubleheader," coach Jon Graff said. "It becomes such a long day and so much can happen.

"Parker came out in the first game and threw another gem of a game, and our defense was great all day, playing error free ball in both games."

The opening game wasn't quite as lopsided as the final score indicated with the Tigers leading just 1-0 after three innings. Four runs in the fourth gave Holmstrom some breathing room. Two more scores in the fifth and a big six-run seventh closed out the rout.

Jordan Beschorner 5 RBI in doubleheader

Holmstrom had to pitch out of a couple of mini-jams but for the most part remained in control. He struck out four batters and walked one.

Holmstrom also led the winners at the plate with a 3-4 afternoon with two runs batted in and two runs scored. Bobby Eckert and Jordan DeCroock added two hits apiece.

JD Hinks drove in three runs and Austin Martinsen, Landon Neilsen and Jordan Beschorner each knocked in two. Neilsen, DeCroock, Bescorner and Ryan Giebel all scored twice.

Maverick Carlson scattered 11 hits in 5.66 innings to pick up the pitching victory in game two. Martinsen came in with two out in the sixth to put down a Storm uprising and then hurled a scoreless seventh to record the save.

Farmington (10-4) scored seven of its nine runs in the second inning when it rapped seven hits and sent 11 batters to the plate.

Holmstrom, Neilsen, Beschorner and Johnny Dittman each had a pair of safeties to lead the 13-hit offensive attack.

"All nine starters got hits and we got 25 hits for the day, Graff said, "and that's fantastic."

Beschorner finished the nightcap with three runs batted in and Martinsen and Dittman each had two. Beschorner and Nick Schoening each scored twice.

Graff said all of the offensive fireworks shouldn't overshadow fine defensive performances by Dittman and Beschorner.

"Johnny can shut down a team's running game almost all by himself," he said. "There were numerous times he smothered the ball in the dirt today and prevented anyone from advancing. Pitchers have to trust their catchers to work hard and do that, which is exactly what he's been doing.

"Jordan has been getting more time at shortstop lately and has really shown good range and he made some great plays. He seems really comfortable there."

The Tigers will try to continue their climb up the Missota Conference ladder Monday when they travel to Richfield to take on Holy Angels at Donaldson Park.

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.

Baseball: Payback at Northfield

Landon Neilsen 3-4, 3B, 2 R

Farmington (7-4) paid back Northfield for a loss at Tiger Field earlier in the season with a 9-3 victory over the Raiders Tuesday in Northfield.

The Tigers were a model of efficiency in their third win in seven Missota Conference games, using their eight hits, three walks and three costly Raider errors to produce nine runs.

Austin Martinsen and Landon Neilsen paced the offense. Neilsen smacked a triple and two singles and scored twice while Martinsen had a double and a single, knocked in two runs and scored three times. Martinsen, Jordan DeCroock and Robert Kramer each drove in two runs.

"The kids are really playing some confident baseball right now," coach Jon Graff said. "We've had to mix up our line-ups lately and they're just stepping in and playing like they've been there all year...  We're continuing to execute our bunts and hit and runs and doing a great job of moving runners around on the bases."

The winners scored a pair of runs in the first inning on a single by Parker Holmstrom, a double by Martinsen and an infield error.

The Tigers put the game on ice in the third with four more scores on two hits, three walks and another costly Northfield error.

Singles by Neilsen and Jordan DeCroock, a sacrifice fly by Johnny Dittman and a hit by Robert Kramer added two more in the fifth and yet another Northfield fielding miscue led to the final score in the sixth.

Parker Holmstrom picked up the pitching win, going six innings and allowing three runs on three hits. Martinsen hurled a scoreless seventh inning.

The Tigers also played solid defense with Jordan Beschorner drawing special words of praise from his coach.

"Jordan played lights out," Graff said.  "He made a couple of spectacular plays that really stymied Northfield's chances."

The Tigers are back in action Thursday with a Missota Conference doubleheader with Chanhassen at Tiger Field. The first pitch of the opener is scheduled for 3:30.

Baseball: Shorthanded Tigers fall at New Prague

Ryan Giebel, 6 hits in the last 3 games

The shorthanded Tigers allowed four unearned runs in the first inning and that proved more than enough for lead-leaguing New Prague in a 10-3 Missota Conference loss Monday in New Prague.

"We had four guys out at the start taking an Advanced Placement test," Tiger coach Jon Graff said, "but we didn't back down. We hit the ball well against one of the best pitchers in the conference."

Four Tiger pitchers--Johnny Dittman, Kyle Johnson, JD Hinks and Landon Neilsen--surrendered 14 hits to the Trojans who extended their conference lead with the win.

Farmington scored a pair of runs in the third inning on singles by Parker Holmstrom and Bobby Eckert, a double by Austin Martinsen and a sacrifice fly by Dittman.

A double by Nick Schoening and singles by Dittman and Ryan Geibel produced the third run in the top of the fourth inning.

Holmstrom and Geibel continued to swing the hot bats for the Tigers. Holmstrom stroked three singles in four trips to the plate while Geibel went 2-3.

"Those guys have really been getting it done for us at the plate," Graff said.

The loss dropped the Tigers' season record to 6-4, 2-4 in Missota Conference play.

Farmington continues its brutal 10 games-in-10 school days schedule Tuesday with a conference road game at Northfield.

Baseball: Wood bats bring good news

Austin Martinsen 5.3 innings of one-run relief vs. Hudson

After a week off due to rain, the Tigers bounced back into action Saturday by winning both of their games at the Apple Valley Wood Bats tournament.

Coach Jon Graff's team raised its season record to 6-3 with a 4-2 victory over Brookings, South Dakota and an eight-inning, 6-3 triumph over Hudson, Wisconsin.

"It was kind of the day we thought it would be heading into the wood bat tournament," Graff said, "low-scoring with less hitting which really puts a premium on pitching and defense."

The Tigers got exactly that in their experiment with wood bats, getting solid pitching performances from three different hurlers and committing just two errors in the field in 15 innings.

Brookings led 2-0 after five innings in the opener before Farmington scored all four of its runs in the top of the sixth on two walks, a hit-batsman and a clutch two-run single by Ryan Giebel.

The Tigers had only four singles in their first experience with wood bats, one each by Giebel, Bobby Eckert, Parker Holmstrom and JD Hinks.

Jordan Beschorner started on the mound for Farmington and went the first two innings, giving up a hit and a run. Hinks came on in the third and threw five innings of one-run relief to chalk up the win.

Maverick Carlson started his first varsity game in the nightcap and pitched five and two-thirds solid innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Austin Martincsen relieved in the sixth and recorded the victory with 2.33 innings of shutout ball.

"We've really been aided by pitchers who do their job," Graff said. "We don't have to strike everyone out, just throw strikes and let our defense make the plays which we did for the most part."

.Bobby Eckert 3 hits in 2 games (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The other big news for the Tigers was their 12 hits with the wood bats, including three by Giebel and two apiece by Eckert and Landon Neilsen. Hinks knocked in two runs with a hit and a sacrifice fly and Giebel and Nick Schoening each scored twice.

The Tigers scored the game-winning runs in the top of the eighth inning on Giebel's double, a run-scoring single by Neilsen, a walk to Schoening, a sacrifice fly by Hinks and a single by Martinsen.

The winners ended the game in the bottom of the eighth with a nifty shortstop-to second-to first double play.

"It was great getting two wins today, but now we play 10 games in the next 10 school days," Graff said, "so we'll have to rest our arms a bit and get ready for this crazy finish."

The hectic stretch begins Monday with a Missota Conference match-up at New Prague.

Baseball: A split at Red Wing

Parker Holmstrom 4-hit shutout in the nightcap

The Tigers earned a split of a Missota Conference doubleheader played Friday at Red Wing, dropping the opener 4-1 before coming back for a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.

The 1-1 showing in Goodhue County left Farmington with a season record of 4-3, including a 2-3 mark in conference play.

Starter Parker Holmstrom pitched well enough to win in the first game, going 4.66 innings and allowing just two earned runs while striking out three and walking none. Maverick Carlson was also effective in relief, working 1.33 innings and striking out three.

The major problem was the Tiger offense managed just three hits and one run.

"We really struggled at the plate in game one, trying to do too much and over-swinging at times," coach Jon Graff said. "Fourteen of our 21 outs were fly balls, and that's just making it too easy on the defense.  

"This was something we really stressed in practice the other day, staying on top of the ball and driving it, but we were just a bit off in this game."

The Wingers scored two runs in the third inning and then added a pair of insurance scores in the fifth.

The lone Farmington run came in the top of the fourth on a single by Austin Martinsen and a sacrifice fly by Nick Schoening.  Jordan DeCroock and Ryan Giebel had the other Tiger hits, both singles.

The bats were still relatively quiet in the nightcap but Holmstrom made two runs look like 20 with a sterling pitcher performance. The righthander threw a four-hit shutout at the Wingers, striking out 13 and walking only one.

"Parker had probably one of the best outings I've seen in 17 years here at Farmington," Graff said. "He was truly dominating,including a stretch where he struck out eight in a row.

"He didn't lose any velocity or control and seemed to pick his spots, mixing in his off-speed with a fastball that was really humming."

Both of the Farmington runs were manufactured by quality at-bats. In the second, Holmstrom reached on a fielder's choice, stole second, moved to third on a ground out by Schoening and scored on a hit by Beschorner.

An inning later, Johnny Dittman singled, stole second, advanced to third on Bobby Eckert's ground ball and raced home on Jordan DeCroock's sacrifice fly.

Landon Neilsen had two of the five Tiger hits. Dittman, Holmstrom and Beschorner accounted for the other three.  

Tuesday (April 29) the Tigers return to action with a Missota Conference home game with New Prague.

Baseball: Three-run seventh carries Chaska

Parker Holmstrom extended his hitting streak to 5 games with a double (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Chaska scored three unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to hand the Tigers a 7-4 Missota Conference loss Monday afternoon at Tiger Field.

The defeat was the second straight for Farmington (3-2) who fell to Northfield by an identical score last week.

"We played right with Chaska the whole night, but it was the little things that did us in," Tiger coach Jon Graff said. "We let three of the four guys we walk score and we had some fielding miscues in the last inning that led to three unearned runs.

"We had our chances and even after giving up three, the kids really came in with a positive frame of mind; nobody was giving up. We had good chatter and weren't hanging our heads. It didn't end up getting us the win, but if we keep up that attitude and effort it'll pay off in the future."

Farmington took an early 2-0 lead in the second on back-to-back doubles by Landon Neilsen and Parker Holmstrom and a single by Johnny Dittman.

The Hawks took the lead with a three-run outburst against Tiger starter JD Hinks in the third inning and added another score in the fourth for a 4-2 lead.

Singles by Dittman and Bobby Eckert, a run-scoring double by Austin Martinsen and a sacrifice fly by Jordan DeCroock knotted the score in the home half of the fifth.

Chaska scored the game-winning runs in the seventh on two walks, a hit and a Farmington error.

Hinks threw the first three innings for the Tigers with Maverick Carlson hurling the final four without allowing an earned run.

Graff said Carlson did a solid job in his varsity debut.

"He really did a good job of mixing his fastball and curve and throwing both for strikes," he said.

Dittman, Eckert and Neilsen each had a pair of hits to lead the Farmington's nine-hit attack. Holmstrom extended his hitting streak to five games with his RBI double. Dittman, Martinsen and DeCroock drove in the other Farmington runs.

The Tigers return to Missota Conference play Wednesday when they entertain Shakopee at Tiger Field.

Baseball: Northfield hands Tigers first loss

Parker Holmstrom is batting .571 through 4 games (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Northfield had to work overtime to do it but the Raiders edged the Tigers 7-4 in eight innings Tuesday afternoon at Tiger Field to hand coach Jon Graff's team its first loss in four games.

The visitors used three walks, two hits and a Tiger error to score the deciding runs in the top of the first extra inning.

"We had our chances, stranding 12 guys on base," Tiger coach Jon Graff said. "We just didn't come through with that big hit and seemed to wait to get things going until there were two outs.

"We faced the toughest pitchers we've seen this year. We battled and gave ourselves chances. That was promising."

Farmington took a 1-0 lead in the second when Parker Holmstrom was hit by a pitch, Jordan Beschorner singled and starting pitcher JD Hinks reached on an error.

After the Raiders tied it in the top of the third, Farmington used a triple by Jordan DeCroock and a run-scoring single by Nick Schoening to re-take the lead.

The visitors pulled back in front 4-2 in the top of the fourth on a couple of hits and three costly Tiger errors.

"We let the ball eat us up a bit in that inning." Graff said. "All of those rune were unearned."

The Tigers battled back in the home half of the sixth on singles by Landon Nielsen and Holmstrom and a Raider error.

JD Hinks owns a 0.54 ERA in two starts (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hinks pitched well through his six innings of work, scattering six hits and allowing just one earned run. Austin Martinsen pitched a scoreless seventh in relief and got one out in the eighth before Kyle Johnson came on to get the final two outs.

DeCroock made it six hits in his last nine at-bats with a 2-5 day. Holmstrom ran his multiple-hit game streak to four with a 2-3 performance with two runs scored. Martinsen had a pair runs batted in.

"This was a good match-up tonight," Graff said. "It gives us a good idea of what to expect coming up as we continue through the Missota schedule."

Wednesday the Tigers travel to New Prague and Thursday they're back on the road to Chanhassen for Missota Conference games.

Baseball: Unbeaten Tigers win third straight

Jordan DeCroock 4-4, 5 RBI (photo by J. Lindquist)

The weather outside was more suited to ice fishing than baseball but it didn't stop the unbeaten Tigers from rolling to their third straight win of the young season Monday afternoon, this one a 15-5 rout of Faribault at blustery Tiger Field.

Farmington led 8-5 after five innings before sending everyone home with a seven-run sixth. The game was mercifully halted at that point by the 10-run rule.

"Offensively, we put together so many quality at bats," Tiger coach Jon Graff said, "and our pitchers were really dealing again.  Both of them kept Faribault's hitters off balance most of the game."

The winners broke to a 6-0 lead after two innings but the Falcons battled back to make it a one-run contest with three scores in the third and two more in the fourth. Solo runs in the fourth and fifth extended the Tiger lead back to three runs to set up the climactic sixth inning.

Johnny Dittman walked, Austin Martinsen singled and Bobby Eckert reached on an error to start the inning and Jordan DeCroock cleared the bases with a double. Later in the inning hits by Nick Schoening, Parker Holmstrom and Dittman and another Falcon error sealed the deal.

DeCroock had a career day at the plate, rapping three singles and a double in four plate appearances and knocking in five runs. Martinsen went 3-4 and scored three times. Holmstrom had multiple hits for the third straight game with a 2-4 day. Dittman and Bobby Eckert each scored twice.

Holmstrom started on the hill and picked up the pitching victory, working six innings, striking out seven and walking two. Martinsen needed just nine pitches to retire the side in a scoreless inning of relief.

"I know Parker wanted to head back out in the sixth," Graff said," but he was at 89 pitches, so we went to Austin who came in really pounded the zone."

The Tigers will look to make it four in a row Tuesday when they entertain Northfield in a Missota Conference game at Tiger Field.

Baseball: Eight-run fifth carries Tigers past Stars

Johnny Dittman knocked in three runs and scored two (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington (2-0) rallied from a 3-2 deficit to plate eight runs in the home half of the fifth inning to down Holy Angels 10-8 in a Missota Conference shootout Friday afternoon at Tiger Field.

The win was the second in as many days for the Tigers who shut down Hastings 7-1 on Thursday.

"Quite a game," Tiger coach Jon Graff said. "I don't think there was a ball that was softly hit. Both teams brought their bats and really put a spanking on the ball. 

"There were also numerous big plays like Bobby Eckert's dive to turn a double play  and JD Hinks' dive and throw to get an out that kept the leadoff guy off the bases...It's the little things that sometimes go unnoticed that determines the success of a team."

The hard-hitting Stars drew first blood with a three-run second inning before the Tigers scored two of their own in the third on Parker Holmstrom's double and RBI hits by Johnny Dittman and Austin Martinsen.

The score remained a 3-2 until the home half of the fifth when Farmington sent 13 batters to the plate and smacked eight hits, six singles and doubles by Martinsen and Ryan Giebel, to score eight runs. Giebel had a pair of hits in the uprising.

"The kids really changed their approach at the plate after the first inning and started attacking the ball," Graff said. "They really knocked it around."

The Stars didn't go quietly, however, taking advantage of four Farmington walks in the sixth to score five times and cut their deficit to two runs.

Martinsen and Kyle Johnson each came out of the bullpen in relief of winning pitcher Jordan Beschorner in the sixth with Johnson picking up the save with 1 2/3 innings of work.

Nick Schoening drove in two runs (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers finished with 15 hits and did not commit an error in the field. Holmstrom, who had a pair of hits in Thursday's opener, went 3-4 and scored a pair of runs. Martinsen, Giebel, Jordan DeCroock and Hinks each collected two hits for the winners.

Dittman knocked in three runs and Giebel and Nick Schoening each drove in two. Dittman and Eckert each scored twice.

The Tigers rest their perfect record over the weekend, returning to action Monday when they start a four games-in-four days stretch with a non-conference home contest against Faribault.

Baseball: Hinks hurls Tigers by Raiders

JD Hinks pitched a six-hit complete game in the season opener (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Senior righthander JD Hinks scattered six hits, struck out eight and did not allow an earned run as the Tigers opened their 2014 season with a solid 7-1 non-conference win over Hastings Thursday afternoon at Tiger Field.

"He really settled in after the first inning and pitched a gem of a game," coach Jon Graff said of the win in his first game as head coach. "He was just cruising. You could see him become more and more confident as the game went along. It was fun to watch."

With Hinks having his way with the Raider batting order and the defense committing but one error, the Farmington offense came out of the gate swinging, collecting 12 hits.

The Raiders jumped to an early 1-0 lead with an unearned score in their first at bat, but the Tigers answered with a three-run second on a walk to Jordan DeCroock and singles by Ryan Giebel, Parker Holmstrom, and Hinks. 

The winners added another score in the third and then plated two in the fourth on doubles by Johnny Dittman and Austin Martinsen and a single by Bobby Eckert. A single by Landon Neilsen, a double by Hinks and a run-scoring single by Dittman produced the final run in the fifth. 

Parker Holmstrom 1-3, 2 RBI (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Balance was the key to the Tiger offense. Nine different players had at least one base hit with Holmstrom, Hicks and Dittman leading the way with two apiece. Seven different Tigers scored and six had a RBI. Holmstrom knocked in a pair of runs.

"The guys didn't play like it was their first game of the year and had only gotten outside a couple times," Graff said. "They were so into the game, doing the little things like backing each other up, hitting cuts and executing the hit and run successfully.  

"However, for all the good stuff, we've still got to get ready to get back at it, as we play seven games in the next seven school days."

The brutal game-a-day schedule starts today (Friday) with a Missota Conference home match-up with Holy Angels. The game was originally scheduled for Donaldson Park in Richfield but had to be moved to Tiger Field because that venue was not ready for play.

Baseball: Pitching depth a good start

Head coach Jon Graff

Any high school coach will tell you that pitching is the key to success in prep baseball. Fortunately, that should be one area that at least for now doesn't keep first year head coach Jon Graff up at night.

Now generating enough offense to support a veteran pitching staff and trying to put together a solid defensive infield, well, that might be a different story. 

" Everyone is always looking for pitching and we’ve got some and so that’s a good thing," Graff said. "That should be able to keep us in each game as long as we make the plays behind them."

Graff inherits a nucleus of 10 players from last year's team that finished 7-7 in the Missota Conference.

Among the returnees are seniors Johnny Dittman, Jonathan Hinks, Jordan Beschorner, Jordan DeCroock, Landon Neilson, Ryan Giebel and Nick Schoening and juniors Bobby Eckert. Parker Holmstrom and Austin Martinsen.

Another starter from last year, shortstop Zach Speikers, will miss his junior season after suffering a serious knee injury in basketball.

Hinks, Beschorner and Holmstrom all bring varsity mound experience to the table with Martinsen also slated to see some hill duty this spring.

.Johnny Dittman may move to shortstop this season (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Dittman, who earned all-conference honorable mention last year, started both in the outfield and behind the plate in 2013 but might find himself at shortstop for his senior season. Schoening is also a capable catcher and could also see some action at first base. Eckert, another all-league honorable mention selection a year ago who hit .306 as a sophomore, can catch and also logged innings at third base last year.

DeCroock and Neilsen both roamed the Tiger outfield last year while Giebel saw limited time there. Seniors Tyler Clayton and Kyle Johnson should also vie for playing time in the outfield with Johnson also a possibility for some pitching duty.

"We''ll have good competition for the outfield spots," Graff said.

Perhaps the biggest job facing the Tigers is trying to deal with the absence of Spencer Merle and Jordan Lugowski, a pair of .400 hitting, all-conference players who graduated last spring.

"We'll be looking to fill some infield openings and we’re always looking for someone to step in and help out offensively. "

One aspect that Graff likes about the 2014 edition of Tiger baseball doesn't lend itself to statistical analysis.

"One thing that can get overlooked is that we’ve got guys that really care for each other, like each other and want each other to do well," he said. "It is really a great group of kids who are willing to do whatever they have to to help the team. Team chemistry is such a big thing, and these guys have it."

.Bobby Eckert hit .306 last year (photo by J. Lindquist)

As for how all of this translates to performance on the field, Graff said he wasn't going to put that into numbers of wins and losses.

 
"It all depends on how quickly guys can adapt to play their new roles at the varsity level, he said.  "But one thing for sure is we’ve got a group of kids willing to do what is asked to have the level of success we want.  We have kids with good experience which will help and I expect that they’ll step up to the challenge and we’ll be just fine."

In addition to improving the on-the-field product Graff said he has some other goals for his team.

"With this as my first year as head coach, our mission is to develop ambassadors of the game of baseball who exemplify the characteristics of teamwork, integrity, perseverance and sportsmanship," he said  

" If we do this, we’ll be successful on and off the field. Win or lose, I want people to be able to say we play the game the right way, play hard, and represent Farmington in a way everyone would be proud of. "

Graff predicted defending champion Shakopee would be the team to beat in the final go-around in the Missota Conference with Northfield also a contender. The Raiders along with a couple of the Big Nine Conference schools should also be in the hunt for Section 1AA honors.

Brent Grengs moves up to Graff's former varsity assistant position this spring with former head coach Mike Winters taking over the junior varsity coaching chores. Matt Grove and Brian Louis will work with the ninth grade team.

The 2014 schedule is slated to open Wednesday, April 2, at home versus Hastings, a date that will no doubt be pushed back due to the late arrival of spring weather.