Larson and Lakers Down Tigers
6/21/13
As storm warnings and severe weather hit several areas in southern Minnesota, there was some question as to whether the Hanska versus Springfield game would take place as scheduled on Friday night. After some dark clouds and a few raindrops fell about an hour before game time, weather was not an issue. Hitting, however, was an issue for the Tigers. They were stymied by Hanska right hander Dayton Larson, falling 7-2, in front of a nice Youth Night crowd at Riverside Park.
Manager Steve Helget handed the ball to Shawn Anderson to make his first start for the Tigers. Anderson posted an extremely successful high school season on the mound and all were anxious to see his amateur debut on the hill. Anderson held the Lakers off the board through the first two innings and Larson matching him zero for zero.
In the top of the third, Hanska got a leadoff single from Kevin Larson. They proceeded to move him around the bases with solid fundamental baseball. A sac bunt moved him to second. A groundout to second moved him to third. Then Brady Mosenden drove him in with a base hit. Hanska loaded the bases, but the Tigers got out of the jam by picking off the runner at second.
The visitors followed nearly the exact same recipe to tally their second run in the top of the fourth. A leadoff single by Gary Wilfahrt, Jr., sac bunt, groundout, and an RBI base hit. Down 2-0, Springfield was able to get the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, but they were unable to get on the board.
Anderson's night came to an end in the fifth when five of the six batters he faced to start the inning reached via hits. Alex Fink took over in relief and was able to get out of the inning, limiting the damage to three runs.
Hanska put together a two-out rally in the top of the seventh to plate two additional runs, pushing their lead to 7-0. After giving up the one-out single in the fourth, Larson didn't allow another Springfield hit until the bottom of the eighth.
Christian Loomis took the final two innings and mowed through the Lakers, striking out five of the six batters he faced. Hanska made things a little interesting in the bottom of the ninth with a pair of errors leading to two Springfield runs and making the final 7-2.
The Tigers were able to get just three hits in the game, one each by Marc Salazar, Ryan Sturm, and Cole Milbrath. Hanska put up fifteen total hits in the contest with eight of the nine batters having at least one on the night. Leading the way was Kevin Larson with four hits and Gary Wilfahrt, Jr. with three to his credit. On the mound, veteran Dayton Larson turned in another masterful complete game outing, giving up just two unearned runs, on three hits with six strikeouts. Shawn Anderson took the loss working four and one-third innings, allowing five runs, all earned, on twelve hits with two strikeouts.
Springfield falls to 7-4 in the Tomahawk East and 9-6 overall on the year with the loss. The eleventh league game marks the halfway point in the schedule. Even with their recent struggles, the Tigers 7-4 record has them sitting in second place of the National Division. Next up, Springfield will host the leaders of both the American and National Divisions on Sunday when they play two at Riverside Park. Lamberton is first at 3pm, followed by the New Ulm Brewers at 7:30pm. The 7:30 game will also feature a pregame ceremony honoring Jordan Milbrath who will be signing a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians on Monday. Come cheer on the Tigers for what should be a great day of baseball!
NOTES: 2013 marked the seventh year the Tigers have hosted a Youth Night celebration, bringing kids to the ballpark with hotdogs, prize drawings, and activities between innings. The first Youth Night took place in 2001. It became an annual promotion starting in 2008. The Tigers would like to thank everyone who helped make it a success again this year! Tara Brandl, the "master of ceremonies" for the first six Youth Nights, was absent this year due to a scheduling conflict with the Lyon County Relay for Life...Hanska is sporting new black jerseys this year with a design very similar to Springfield's blue jerseys with the red S...Hanska has dominated the Tigers at Riverside Park in recent memory. Springfield is 1-7 against the Lakers at home since 2006...A common thread of the Hanska wins has been rock solid pitching from Dayton Larson. Larson has made the start for Hanska at Riverside Park for at least seven of the last eight seasons, suffering just one loss, 2-0 in 2010.
Scorecard
Linescore
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanska | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 11 |
| Springfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
Springfield Box
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilhelmi, LF/SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Ma. Salazar, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Fink, SS/P/LF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | HP |
| Sturm, 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kirschstein, PH | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Menage, RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Mx. Salazar, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Loomis, 2B/P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| D. Krebs, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Anderson, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vogel, LF/2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bisel, C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Frank, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Scheffler, CF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| C. Milbrath, CF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 31 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ||
| Anderson (L, 0-1) | 4 1/3 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
| Fink | 2 2/3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Loomis | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Pictures
