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Even Mauer can't touch Orono catcher

By Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune, 05/01/12, 5:01PM CDT

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Sophomore one of only three to ever have six hits in a game

When the attention settled down a bit, Jake Flemmer found his way to a computer, scanned the list of high school baseball players in Minnesota who ever went 6-for-6 in a game and was surprised more by what he didn't see than what he did.

"Joe Mauer wasn't on there," said Flemmer, Orono's catcher.

With six swings of the bat last week against Dassel-Cokato, the sophomore did what only two other high school players in the state have done.

"A lot of fastballs that weren't doing a lot of dancing," Flemmer said of his 6-for-6 performance that helped the Spartans earn a 14-8 victory in eight innings.

The mark came after Flemmer, a left-handed hitter, finished Orono's previous game with a hit, and before he laced a single in his first at-bat in the next game. He walked his next time up, keeping his streak intact at eight.

It ended there. Flemmer struck out -- looking, no less.

"I took some heat from the guys," Flemmer said.

All in good fun, of course. Though all of his hits were singles, the mark impressed everyone involved. Heading into this week, Flemmer has 23 hits in 36 at-bats (a .639 average).

In two decades of coaching baseball, Spartans coach Dick Crandall hasn't seen anything like he did last week.

"He doesn't have a lot of power, he's not 6-5," Crandall said. "But he sure is swinging the bat well right now."

Abuzz about Edina baseball

Rankings? Who needs 'em? Edina didn't flinch last week when the unranked Hornets went up against No. 15 Coon Rapids, No. 12 Minnetonka and No. 2 Eden Prairie and beat all three.

Matthew Hopfner was especially helpful for the Hornets against the previously undefeated Eagles. He pitched 5 2/3 innings and was 3-for-5 at the plate. He saved his best hit for last, a game-ending RBI triple.

 

 

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