Belle Plaine tounces Albertville 12-0

By Jim Rueda
Free Press Staff Writer

SHAKOPEE August 17, 2008 01:46 am

— When you’re clicking on all cylinders, baseball can be a pretty easy game.
The Belle Plaine Tigers certainly made it look easy Saturday, trouncing Albertville 12-0 in seven innings in the first round of the Class C State Amateur Baseball Tournament.
Belle Plaine ripped 15 hits, played flawless defense and received a complete-game, one-hit pitching performance from Shane Hoffmann. It was about as complete a victory as a team could ask for.
“We’ve been playing pretty well since the playoffs started,” Hoffmann said afterward. “All your players aren’t always there during the regular season so you can be kind of up and down sometimes. But everybody’s been here for the playoffs and we’ve picked it up a notch.”
Hoffmann struck out only two batters, but walked just two and give up one single. In many ways, it was a typical performance for the veteran right-hander.
“I’m not a strikeout pitcher,” he said. “I let them put the ball in play and let the defense take of it. I just try to throw strikes and get ahead. The defense was awesome again today and you can’t ask for more than that.”
While Hoffmann was keeping Albertville in check, the Tigers were battering their opponents with nine singles and six extra-base hits. Tim Huber set the tone early, belting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. He also doubled and singled in the game.
“We just got our bats going today,” said Huber, who played college ball at Minnesota State University. “We wanted to take the lead early and give Shane some room to work with and we were able to do that. It was nice to give him that cushion.
Belle Plaine added five more runs in the second inning, three more in the third and scored two more in the sixth. Dan Huber, Tim’s brother, also had a big day, ripping a solo homer in the third, a single and a triple.
“We heard good things about their pitcher so we wanted to put the ball in play right away and put pressure on their defense,” he said. “We were able to string some hits together and get some runs early in the game.
“Shane likes to work fast and that not only makes it easy for the fielder’s behind him, but it allows him to get into a rhythm. He spotted his pitches well today and he didn’t have to be so fine once he got the big lead.”
Belle Plaine (15-21) is back in action at 11 a.m. Saturday in Shakopee.

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