MY-OH-MIESVILLE: @SaukTitans outlast Tigers in 14-inning classic (2001 state)


MY-OH-MIESVILLE
Sauk Centre outlasts Tigers in 14-inning classic

--By Brett Kruschke

THIS MUST BE how the Atlanta Braves felt, after Game #7 of the 1991 World Series. To watch their own pitcher dominate an entire game, yet unable to get him the one run needed to seal a victory he so richly deserved. John Smoltz, meet John Schaffler. Jack Morris, meet Rob Mettenburg.

The Belle Plaine Tigers 2001 season ended in Miesville on Saturday, by a 4-1 count in 14 innings to the Sauk Centre Titans of Region 10C. The story of the game was the never-ending pitching duel between Schaffler, a Tiger draftee from LeSueur, and Mettenburg, Sauk Centre’s savvy, right-handed veteran. Schaffler went an insufferable 13 innings, while his counterpart went 11.2—yet neither figured in the decision. A hit-batter and two Tiger errors contributed to a three-run 14th for Sauk.

Team Tigertown finished the campaign 20-12 overall, and 11-4 during the Carver Central League’s regular season. The loss to Sauk Centre was the locals’ first in the playoffs, having entered with a 6-0 mark. The Tigers won 13 of their last 16 games, but now have nothing but a stack of video tapes (uh, of baseball games, that is) to get them through the winter. Speaking of which, the Sauk Centre game will be played on Channel 8—the local cable access channel—at 7pm tonight (Wednesday) and 9am tomorrow (Thursday). (Doug Anderson’s video work is highlighted by audio from KRBI’s radio broadcast.) The Senior Dining Menu and bingo schedule will return to regular 24/7 programming immediately afterwards.

Sauk Centre 4, BP 1 @ Miesville (14 innings, Saturday, August 18)
As the high seed in this matchup, Belle Plaine was the home team on the scoreboard. Three batters in, Sauk Centre was the first team to dent it with a solo homerun off the bat of #3 hitter Jason Moritz. After Tim “Hamburger” Huber drew a leadoff walk in the home-half, Daron “Dichiro” Anderson absolutely smoked a ball to center. Huber was almost to third when he realized Anderson was robbed on an amazing catch by Mike Blank, and somehow scrambled back to first, not without the aid of the Titans.

It was 1-0 in the fourth when the Tigers wasted perhaps their best scoring opportunity of the day. With Schaffler at third, catcher Jim Buesgens at first and nobody out, Mettenburg induced a strikeout from Brad Muehlenhardt—only his sixth in 101 at-bats. Pat Schultz then lifted a fly ball to medium-deep left field, but Schaffler was thrown out at the dish to end the inning.

In the fifth, Belle Plaine broke out in style thanks to a leadoff, mammoth nut-job from Jeff Witt, way back into the cornfield in left. Seriously, this ball was destroyed. A crush job. Smoked salmon. Tater-trot hotdish.

The Tigers got a runner (Anderson) to second with one out in the eighth, but that’s when Mettenburg decided to strike out—oh, let’s see—is six in a row enough for ya? (Not in one inning—that would be a record or something.) Meanwhile, it was lights out for the Titans, as Johnny Adrenaline went about his work with extraordinary efficiency. After giving up a single right after the first-inning homerun, Schaffler did not allow a hit or walk until one out in the ninth. The only baserunner during that period came on a sixth-inning error, and he was subsequently erased on a double-play. That’s right—he faced just three men per inning from the second through the eighth. Check, please!

Sauk’s back-to-back singles in the ninth turned into runners at first and third after a wild-pitch, with one out. A strikeout, a stolen base, then yet another strikeout ended the inning and gave John Spellacy’s cowbell its greatest workout of the day. The Tigers would add two-out baserunners in the tenth and eleventh, but to no avail. One free pass was all Sauk Centre could muster off Schaffler in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth combined.

In the bottom of the 12th, Brad “VIP” Muehlenhardt led off and delivered what is perhaps his signature hit—a looping bleeder over the third-baseman’s head, in a landing area known as the “Muehly Zone.” It only seemed fitting that he would start the rally to end it, in what is rumored to be his final game as a Tiger. Andy Valek pinch-ran, but was nabbed at second on Pat Schultz’s bunt. Schultz stole second on a missed hit-and-run (managerial genius, once again), then reached third on a wild pitch after two were out. Finally, Mettenberg and his 13 K’s would leave, due as much to his 145 pitches as to allow the dangerous Tim Haines to potentially bat second in the 13th. With Schultz just 90 feet away from victory, Haines faced Adam Hoffman, who drilled one but right to the centerfielder. Cripes!

Schaffler started the 14th, but was removed to a sitting ovation after plunking the leadoff hitter. All he did was post seven punchouts while limiting the Titans to four hits, two walks, and one run, while throwing a relatively meager (by his standards) 138 pitches. For the Tigers in the playoffs, the righty gave up one run in 23 innings for a 0.39 ERA. He was so good, Mark Huber almost swore off razzing Johnny when the Tigers do battle with LeSueur next year. Almost.

Shane Hofmann, who’s been a playoff horse for the Tigers as well, saw his first man reach on an error after the previous runner was caught stealing by the deadly gun of “Buesgy Plus,” Jimmy Buesgens. After a walk, a base hit to left scored one and then another when Tim Huber overshot third and mailed one into the stands, sending hitter Scott Marquardt to third. Brett Kruschke, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Eddie Gaedel, made a diving catch for the second out, while the runner at third easily tagged and scored to make it 4-1.

Buesgens led off with a walk in the fourteenth, but was erased along with batter Muehlenhardt when both were automatically called out for his sliding outside the baseline. A walk to Schultz was followed by a grounder to second from Witt, and this one was in the books. Four pages worth, at that.

The teams combined for 95 at-bats, and the only two extra-base hits were a solo homer for each. How much did the Tigers miss Dan Huber, Pat Moriarty, Dan Weldon, and the latter’s good luck charm, the Spoon Lady? (Not to forget Erik Pesta and Nate Kube.) Certainly we’ll never know, but may always wonder. The only thing for sure is that the manager’s contract should be renewed, and if he asks for free hot dogs, that should be no problem, either. But Anderson, whose only other game without a hit this year was the 5-inning game vs. Gaylord—and Trace Selly, who was raking at a .675 clip over his last 40 at-bats—combined to go 0-for-11. But to those who understand it, that’s baseball. And in a twisted way, the reason it’s the greatest game there’s ever been.

NEW! Bonus Section: Tigers Year-in-Review
We laughed, we cried; it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. One minute you’re eating a hamburger, the next minute you’re dead meat. But these final paragraphs will be postive reinforcements, because no matter what really happened, whatever I tell you here will be what you remember until next year. You’re getting very sleepy…..

2001 really was a banner year for the Tigers. In addition to a 20-12 record, winning 13 of their last 16, and making State for the first time since 1995, the team hit .323 and posted an ERA of 5.29. That compares to .341 and 8.88 in 1999, and .279 and 6.21 last year. The year before that some players burned the book in the dugout to help with mosquitoes, and before that isn’t really pertinent to this comparison.

The Tigers beat Gaylord four of five times, LeSueur twice, and other stalwarts like the Shakopee Indians, Marshall, Green Isle, Jordan, and Lonsdale. (We did have to tip our caps to the Chaska Cubs in a 22-2 loss.) Three Tigers hit above .400—Tim Huber (.478, 33-69), Selly (.460, 57-124), and Anderson (.417, 40-96). The pitching nucleus of Shane Hofmann, Mike Murphy, and Dan Huber carried the team all year long.

Muehlenhardt and Randy Stender are rumored to retire after this season, but will have a hard sell to fellow teammates. At least Muehlenhardt will. (Just kidding, Stender!)

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