No. 2 moment from 2007

July 20: Dassel-Cokato 7, Huskies 1

For five innings, it appeared one run might win Friday night’s amateur ball game between Hutchinson and Dassel-Cokato. With a division title on the line for the Huskies and a first-round bye for the Saints, it was locked up at zero until things turned ugly in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Huskies starter Corey Ryks was lifted for ace Adam Padrnos to begin the inning. Manager Lee Kuhl said with the Saints coming through the batting order for the third time, he wanted to change the look up. The Saints weren’t fooled.

Saints’ lead-off hitter Justin McKinley started the inning with a double down the left field line and capped a seven-run inning with a long fly ball that tipped off Huskies’ left fielder Chris Runke’s glove for an error, which plated three runs.

In between the two at-bats, Padrnos walked two batters, but Hutchinson left some plays on the field that may have left the damage at a minimum.

“We had one bad inning and there were a couple of balls that we should have got to, maybe. The wheels certainly came off that inning,” Huskies manager Lee Kuhl said. “Both teams made some nice defensive plays to keep runs off the board early, but in the end we had a few more costly errors.”

All the Huskies could manage offensively off Saints starter Dan Birkholz was a fielder’s choice run batted in by Mike Kutter, which plated Chris Henke from third in the seventh inning. The result, a 7-1 loss, and a failed opportunity to clinch the division title.

“The coach screwed up and it was as simple as that. Corey was mowing them down and I have confidence that he could’ve done the job. I have confidence in Adam, too. It was the third time through, so I thought let’s go to our ace,” Kuhl said.

While the loss wasn’t a highlight, the atmosphere was. Saints Field was packed all around the park on a gorgeous July evening. It was also a game for the division title between two rivals – that, um, don’t like each other.

Umpires = bad

For the Tiger baseball fans in attendance Wednesday at VMF, you will enjoy this no doubt. For those that weren’t, hopefully I explain the situations well enough.

Let’s just put it this way – the two umpires were bad. I usually don’t rip on officials because I know sometimes the job can be tough, but I’ve umpired, I’ve coached and I’ve played, and the job this crew did was an injustice to both teams – more so Hutchinson.

Play No. 1

Scenario: Bases are loaded for Northfield – a pitch is hit down the left field line and it’s foul by two feet – oh wait, it’s not according to the screened umpire. After a long discussion, the umpire doesn’t change his call – he admits he guessed based on the runners taking off (there was two outs). The crew says play stands – runs score.

Correction: First off, move a few feet and see the ball land. In the event that you can’t see it, watch the reaction of the coach – if he’s waving home a guy, then it’s fair. No. Well, than it is foul. At worst, call it foul and let’s do it again. Everyone but you saw it foul, just listen to the reaction.

Play No. 2

Scenario: Northfield has runners on second and third and one out. A ball is hit into the air on the infield/outfield edge of the grass. The base umpire (the one who missed the fair/foul call in the first game) calls infield fly rule.

Correction: The infield fly rule is only when there are runners on first and second, or the bases loaded with less than two outs. Not second and third. The ball has to be easily caught by an infielder – it was.

Play No. 3

Scenario: Ryan Thorson pops up a pitch in the infield – a Hutchinson runner interferes with the runner and the call is made that the runner is out. The next inning, the umpire (the same one as the previous two) tells Thorson to come back up.

Correction: Since the ball was put in play, that is a plate appearance for Thorson. He would not bat again the next inning. The only way he would return to bat was if the runner was thrown out or picked off. The play would be scored as a pop out.

Play No. 4

Scenario: With the bases loaded with two outs and a 1-1 count, Tigers pitcher Evan Glasson, who has not come to a set yet, waves his arm in a small circle to indicate that he wants another sign from the catcher. Both umpires call a balk.

Correction: The rules state that the pitcher can’t move his hands once he has come set. At this point, Glasson was still hunched over and had not taken his sign. He had not come set with his hands. No balk should have been called. You see this play by a pitcher every night in Major League Baseball.

Also, please have a bigger strike zone so a 3:30 doubleheader doesn’t end at 10:45. They are high school kids playing their fourth game in three days. Both teams have run out of pitching – open it up.