Farr Spins A Gem, But Errors Cost Athletics

Jeff Farr deals from the hill in the 1st inning with an outstanding start against Burnsville.

Second year Athletics pitcher Jeff Farr continues to push the rotation with each start. Farr has drawn the tough starts all year long, against last year's #3 rated Savage, the always tough Rochester Royals, and last year's #5 rated Burnsville. All he has done is impress his coaches and teammates with every trip to the mound. Against Savage he carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning, giving up his one and only hit in that inning. He held Rosemount to just four hits even though he admitted he didn't have his best stuff that night. In Rochester he was called upon at the last minute to start on just three days rest. He worked four innings and gave up just four hits with no earned runs. Against Burnsville on Thursday night, he was once again tough on opposing batters as he carried a one-hitter into the 6th inning, but defensive miscues and errors were the undoing, spoiling another solid pitching performance from the tall right hander.

Mark Berger gets his lead and reads the pitch in the 2nd inning.

After a scoreless 1st inning from both teams Lakeville got on the board first in the 2nd inning with two hits and a run. Catcher Derek Hahn led off with a single to shallow right which dropped in no-man's land behind first base. Centerfielder Mark Berger reached on an error by the first baseman. One out later, second baseman Justin Hahn stroked a single up the middle to score his brother Derek. A strikeout and a fly-out ended the inning with the Athletics holding onto a 1-0 lead.

Derek Hahn scores in the 2nd inning to give Lakeville a 1-0 lead.

Lakeville could only muster one hit in the next four innings, but it didn't seem to matter as Farr was in control on the mound, limiting Burnsville to just one hit through five innings of play.

Ouch! Kevin George gets drilled in the 6th inning.

In the 6th, Farr got a centerfield fly-out to start the inning, before giving up his second hit of the game. He walked the next batter, but got the following batter out on a ball hit to 1st baseman Josh Storm who made the flip to Farr for the second out. He then got the next Bobcat hitter on what looked like a routine fly-out that should have ended the inning, but the right fielder misjudged the ball and it fell in for a hit that scored two for Burnsville. Two more defensive errors would prolong the inning, as well as Farr's pitch count, adding three more runs to the board. Instead of a 1-0 lead, Farr left the game with Lakeville down by four, 5-1.

Nick Daniels gets set to hit in the 7th inning.

Trent Larson came on in relief and pitched two scoreless innings of his own, holding the Bobcats to just two hits, but that was also all that the Athletics could manage for the last three innings as they could not get back on the board. It was a tough loss for Lakeville, with solid pitching performances from both Farr and Larson squandered in an error-driven 5-1 game.

Trent Larson looks in for the sign in the 7th.

Defensively, Justin Hahn pulled off a nice 4-6-3 double play in the 2nd inning. Kevin George made a nice catch in right field in the 3rd. Shortstop Max Shower made a quick throw to get the runner at 1st base in the 4th inning, and Farr and Storm teamed up for a 3-1 put out in the 6th.

The Athletics out-hit the Bobcats 7 to 5 on the game.

Collecting hits for the Athletics were...

• Justin Hahn 1 for 2, RBI
• Nick Daniels 1 for 2
• Kevin George 1 for 3, HBP
• Derek Hahn 1 for 4, R, OBE
• Trent Larson 1 for 4
• Collin Baker 1 for 4

The next game for Lakeville is Sunday in Bay City, Wisconsin at 2:00.