Hopkins senior Max Forster is tagged out at home against Stillwater at Siebert Field in Minneapolis June 11. Forster was thrown out of the game for the play because of his raised elbow and contact with the catcher. PHOTO: MARK TROCKMAN
By Jon Weisbrod
Playing without one of its chief offensive pillars and strongest starting pitchers, the Hopkins baseball team scuffled in a pair of games at the Class 3A state tournament on Thursday, June 11, losing to Stillwater 4-2 in the quarterfinals before dropping a 5-4 decision to Owatonna in the consolation round.
Against the Ponies, Royals' leadoff batter and No. 2 pitcher Max Forster was ejected from the game in the first inning after raising an elbow and drawing contact with Stillwater catcher Matt Lindquist when trying to score from third on a grounder to the pitcher.
The home-plate umpire immediately threw Forster out of the game. The ejection also warranted an automatic one-game suspension, meaning he was unable to pitch, or hit, against Owatonna.
"That kind of set the tone for the whole day," Hopkins coach Neil Lerner said. "He wasn't trying to hurt the kid or anything; it was just an unfortunate play. It's tough to adjust when you lose one of your best players like that."
Forster, who singled in his only plate-appearance, came in leading the Royals in several offensive categories, including hits (40), doubles (11) and slugging-percentage (.691). He also was 4-2 on the mound with a paltry 2.39.
Though the ejection didn't help, Stillwater earned every run it scored against flame-throwing righty Sean Borman.
The Ponies plated three runs in the third inning, all coming off two-out hits. Nate Hewes clubbed a two-run double deep to right field to highlight the rally.
"I think Sean left a few pitches up and they [Stillwater] took advantage," Lerner said. "But other than that, I thought he pitched pretty well. It just wasn't his day out there."
With his team trailing 4-0, Patrick Page sent the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning sailing over the right-center field wall at Siebert Field. The Royals managed to draw within two runs later in the frame on an RBI ground-out by Kyle Dalton, but that would be it.
Hopkins was held off the bath-paths in the final two innings, finishing the game with just four hits.
"We had a number of chances and we simply didn't capitalize on them," Lerner said. "We averaged eight runs per game during the regular season and we only scored six [runs] in two games today. Sometimes stuff like that happens; that's just baseball."
After falling behind 2-0 against Owatonna, the Royals stormed back and grabbed the lead with a three-run second. Alex Powell, Kyle Dalton and Johnnie Hicks each picked up an RBI in the frame.
After a four-inning hiatus, the Huskies' offense awoke in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs off Hopkins starter Matt Rowley. Neil Eddie gave the Huskies a 5-3 lead with a two-run single to right field.
Borman crushed a one-out laser-beam solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to pull Hopkins within one, but after a strikeout and consecutive walks, Cody Johnson froze Johnnie Hicks at the plate to end the game.
Hicks, who came into the tournament batting just below .200, smashed a team-high three hits for Hopkins - all coming in the second game.
"He [Hicks] had a great game," Lerner said. "He had been doing really well for us for the last two, three weeks, so we saw that coming."
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