Starting Sunday, Tigers Open Playoffs with Pair of Home Games
Posted on Aug 07, 2019

By Brett Kruschke and Matt Ruehling

belleplaineherald.com


As Carl Spackler once said, “I guess the kidding around is pretty much over.” After getting walloped at Waconia last Wednesday, the Tigers closed the regular-season schedule last night (July 23) against Dassel-Cokato. Check bptigertown.com or twitter.com/bptigertown for the result and details.

Belle Plaine completed its River Valley League schedule with a 10-4 record (16-8 overall), good for the RVL’s No. 2 seed in the Region 6C Tournament and at least a pair of home games. The first game will be Sunday, July 28, at 6 p.m., when the 13-60 League’s No. 8 seed, Janesville, journeys to Tiger Park.

Win or lose, El Tigre’s next game will be on Saturday, August 3, 6 p.m. at Tiger Park, with the opponent to be determined. As long as BP doesn’t lose its first two games, it will also be in action on Sunday, August 4, with all pertinent details yet to be determined. Stay updated at RiverValleyLeague.com or the league’s Twitter account, twitter.com/RVLbaseball, where a full, updated bracket is available.

 As we head into the postseason, let’s take a look at the Tigers’ statistical leaders. Among qualifiers, Brody Curtiss (.379), Carsen Ladd (.355) and Tyler O’Brien (.327) are leading the way. Curtiss is the leading slugger at .603, while Ladd is tops in on-base percentage (.459). O’Brien has a team-high seven steals.

On the mound, it’s once again Curtiss leading the charge with a 1.65 ERA and a team-high 29 strikeouts. Nathan Herman is hot on his heels, with a 2.13 ERA and a team-best four wins. Clayton Meyer (2.22 ERA) and Wes Sarsland (2.57) have also been solid contributors.

July 17: BP 0, Waconia 10

The Tigers had only one game on the week before taking off for the annual Bar-B-Q Days celebration. Could they maintain their focus before redeeming a burning pocketful of ride tickets?! The answer, of course, was a staunch “nope.”

Curtiss got the start on the hill for BP and worked three innings, yielding one run. The thought was to get a handful of pitchers some work due to the paucity of upcoming action, but making it a “bullpen game” seemed to backfire as the Wildcats scored nine runs over the next four frames.

Offensively, Belle Plaine’s only true threat came in the fourth when Derek Dahlke led off with a double. Our ballers loaded the bases with no outs, but three straight punchouts sapped whatever wind was in the Tiger sails.

Five Tigros had a hit, with Carsen Ladd collecting a pair. Jake Mercado and Jared Miller drew BP’s only free passes.