As May comes to a close, it's time for another installment of "Who's Hot and Who's Not?" A look at trends in baseball.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
WHO'S HOT?
1. Astros. The Astros have been on a roll in May, especially when they came to Target Field to take on the Twins. Their solid lineup scored 40 runs against the Twins in a three game series and now they have a seven game winning streak. The good news is that Dallas Keuchel is back after a stint on the 10 day disabled list due to a neck injury. Keep your eye on the Astros. This could be the best team since they began in 1962 as the Colt .45s and have never won a pennant.
2. Yankees. The Baby Bombers have been playing some really good baseball in May as they have vaulted into first place in the AL East. One of the keys to their success so far is rookie right fielder Aaron Judge. In 47 games this season, he has hit 17 home runs. Let's not forget the pitching staff, anchored by Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino and Michael Pineda. Dylan Betances has taken over the closer role with Aroldis Chapman on the disabled list. Could this be the start of another exciting AL East race.
3. Indians. After a slow start, Edwin Encarnacion has 10 home runs and has been a part of The Tribe's surge toward the top of the AL central and have pulled in within a couple of percentage points of the slumping Twins. Trevor Bauer had a superb outing on May 30 with 14 strikeouts in seven innings against the Oakland A's. Danny Salazar has also been solid on the mound.
WHO'S NOT?
1. Twins. Once upon a time, the Twins, who won a team low 59 games last season were getting solid pitching from Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios as well as outstanding hitting from Brian Dozier and spectacular defense from Byron Buxton. But the Twins have collapsed like the roof at their former home the Metrodome and have lost four straight games and their hold on first place. Thy lost a 15 inning heart breaker to the Rays and got swept by the Astros. Can the Twins break their slump as they head west to Anaheim?
2. Orioles. It was a two team race earlier this month between the Yankees and the Orioles in the AL East until the Orioles went into a slump where they have won two of their last ten games to fall into third place. Also, the Red Sox have been on a tear that moved them into second place.
3. Mike Trout. Bad news for Twins fans who hope to see the two time AL MVP in action this weekend in Anaheim,. Trout will be out six to eight weeks due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. He could also miss the series over the Fourth of July week at Target Field and the All Star Game where he is among the vote leaders.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
WHO'S HOT?
1. Nationals. There is joy in the nation's capitol as the Nationals have dominated the NL East and have the only winning record in the division. Their lineup has been outstanding and they have had a couple of great performances by their one-two punch on the mound of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasberg. Last week, Scherzer fanned 13 batters and Strasberg followed up with a 15 strikeout game. Can they sustain their excellent when Bryce Harper has to serve a three game suspension for his role in the Memorial Day Brawl against the Giants?
2. Brewers. Look who's in first place in the NL Central. The Brewers. Though they lost their star player Ryan Braun to the disabled list, they had an outstanding series against the Diamondbacks and a great start from outfield Eric Thames, who hit 10 home runs in April. They also have outstanding pitching from Wily Peralta and Zach Davies. The addition of Neftali Feliz as their closer has also kept the Brewers in contention.
3. NL West. When you look at the standings in the NL West, it has become a three team race between the Rockies, the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers. Only a half game separates the three teams as the Dodgers have surged into the race, thanks to a couple of top notch starts from their ace Clayton Kershaw. He's been the anchor of the Dodgers pitching staff which leads the majors with a 3.22 ERA. This could rival last year's race in the AL East.
WHO'S NOT?
1. Cubs. To quote the opening line from the Buffalo Springfield song "For What it's Worth", "There's something happening here." What's exactly clear is the world champion Cubs have gone into a slump, losing six straight games and got swept by the lowly Padres. It doesn't get easier for the Cubs since they start a weekend series with the rival Cardinals on Friday.
2. Phillies. Now this sounds familiar. The Phillies are in last place in the NL East. Since they won five straight division titles from 2007-11, the Phillies have finished last or close to the bottom five of the last six years. They are a young team with only one starter at 30 or older, Michael Saunders. But they do have a bright spot on the mound in former Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
3. Giants. Injuries have hampered the Giants early in the season. After losing Madison Bumgarner in April due to a left shoulder strain, they have lost Hunter Pence, Conor Gillespie and Michael Morse due to injuries. Though the Giants have had a strong pitching staff with Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Matt Moore, the offence hasn't been productive, ranking next to last in batting average and the least number of home runs in the majors with 42. It could be a long year in the Bay Area with the Giants and A's occupying the basement in both league's Western Divisions.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Friday, May 26, 2017
SLP Orioles Shut Out Mpls. South Tigers
Johnny Sorenson was "Johnny on the Spot" Friday night, combining with Shea Pekarek on a one hitter and striking out seven batters to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 10-0 win over the Minneapolis South Tigers in an elimination round game in the 2017 Section 6AAAA Baseball Tournament at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.
The Tigers would get their only hit when lead off batter Roy Palmer singled to start the game. After Jack Hennen reached base on an error by Pekarek and Ben Murray hit into a fielders choice, Sorenson would strike out the next two batters to prevent further damage.
As for the Orioles offense, they would open the scoring in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI double by Jacob Stillman that scored Luke Mobley. St. Louis Park sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth as Sorenson, who retired 11 straight Tigers, would score on a wild pitch from Dayne Schweiger. Pekarek would single home Stillman for the second run and Zach Listiak and Pekarek would score on an error. Mobley would hit an RBI single to score Riley Dvorak and the Orioles would increase their lead to six.
Sorenson would begin the top of the fifth with a pair of strikeouts. He got Isaias Bruggeman-Cohen on a swinging strike out and pinch hitter Will Danaher on a called third strike. But he would give up back to back walks to Ryan Skow and Isaac Staichez that would bring St. Louis Park head coach Brian Kelly out of the dugout and he would give the ball to Pekarek who got Palmer to hit into a force play to end the top of the fifth inning.
The Orioles would clinch the win in the bottom of the sixth that started with singles by Connor Cornell and Pekarek and Dvorak would hit a two run single to score both the runners. Dvorak would cross the plate on Julien Shadle's double. Ian Sandbo would run for Shadle and Brent Ryan would lay down a squeeze bunt that enabled Sandbo to head home uncontested and the game would end due to the ten run rule.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 9-13 and will face the Armstrong Falcons on Tuesday, May 30 at 4:30 in Plymouth. Armstrong moved into the elimination bracket following a walk off win by the Hopkins Royals 4-3. The two teams last met on April 24 with the Orioles holding off the Falcons 4-3. Mpls.South concluded their season with a record of 10-10.
The Tigers would get their only hit when lead off batter Roy Palmer singled to start the game. After Jack Hennen reached base on an error by Pekarek and Ben Murray hit into a fielders choice, Sorenson would strike out the next two batters to prevent further damage.
As for the Orioles offense, they would open the scoring in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI double by Jacob Stillman that scored Luke Mobley. St. Louis Park sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth as Sorenson, who retired 11 straight Tigers, would score on a wild pitch from Dayne Schweiger. Pekarek would single home Stillman for the second run and Zach Listiak and Pekarek would score on an error. Mobley would hit an RBI single to score Riley Dvorak and the Orioles would increase their lead to six.
Sorenson would begin the top of the fifth with a pair of strikeouts. He got Isaias Bruggeman-Cohen on a swinging strike out and pinch hitter Will Danaher on a called third strike. But he would give up back to back walks to Ryan Skow and Isaac Staichez that would bring St. Louis Park head coach Brian Kelly out of the dugout and he would give the ball to Pekarek who got Palmer to hit into a force play to end the top of the fifth inning.
The Orioles would clinch the win in the bottom of the sixth that started with singles by Connor Cornell and Pekarek and Dvorak would hit a two run single to score both the runners. Dvorak would cross the plate on Julien Shadle's double. Ian Sandbo would run for Shadle and Brent Ryan would lay down a squeeze bunt that enabled Sandbo to head home uncontested and the game would end due to the ten run rule.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 9-13 and will face the Armstrong Falcons on Tuesday, May 30 at 4:30 in Plymouth. Armstrong moved into the elimination bracket following a walk off win by the Hopkins Royals 4-3. The two teams last met on April 24 with the Orioles holding off the Falcons 4-3. Mpls.South concluded their season with a record of 10-10.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
A Balk and a Walk Helps Mpls. Washburn Millers Beat SLP Orioles
The opening round of the 2017 Section 6AAAA Baseball Tournament turned out to be a big night for Jack Carlson as he pitched a complete game and scored on a bases loaded walk by Aidan Schwob in the top of the seventh inning to lead the Minneapolis Washburn Millers to a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles Wednesday night at Derrick Keller Field.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning that began with a double from Jacob Stillman and he scored on Connor Cornell's RBI single. Cornell would score the Orioles second run on Carlson's wild pitch.
St. Louis Park would get solid started pitching from Riley Dvorak who walked one batter and struck out six through five innings. But in the top of the sixth. head coach Brian Kelly brought in Jack Elias to relive Dvorak and after retiring the first two batters, he gave a single to Schob, a walk to Clark Amann and an RBI single to John Ario to cut the lead to one. The Millers would tie the game as Elias balked home Amann.
Washburn would vault into the lead in the top of the seventh Carlson and Will Harlow reached base on singles. Elias retired Carter Wendtlandt on a called third strike and Jake Garrison flied out to the left fielder Brent Ryan. But Elias walked Sean King to load the bases and Schwob also walked to score Carlson. St. Louis Park got the tying run aboard in the bottom of the seventh on Jacob Stillman's single that would go for naught on pop ups from Elias and Cornell to end the game.
The Millers improve their record to 15-5 and will take on the Wayzata Trojans in the winners bracket on Friday, May 26 at 4:30 PM at Central Middle School in Plymouth. The Orioles fell to 9-11 and host the Minneapolis South Tigers in the losers bracket, also on the 26th at 7 PM at Derrick Keller Field.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning that began with a double from Jacob Stillman and he scored on Connor Cornell's RBI single. Cornell would score the Orioles second run on Carlson's wild pitch.
St. Louis Park would get solid started pitching from Riley Dvorak who walked one batter and struck out six through five innings. But in the top of the sixth. head coach Brian Kelly brought in Jack Elias to relive Dvorak and after retiring the first two batters, he gave a single to Schob, a walk to Clark Amann and an RBI single to John Ario to cut the lead to one. The Millers would tie the game as Elias balked home Amann.
Washburn would vault into the lead in the top of the seventh Carlson and Will Harlow reached base on singles. Elias retired Carter Wendtlandt on a called third strike and Jake Garrison flied out to the left fielder Brent Ryan. But Elias walked Sean King to load the bases and Schwob also walked to score Carlson. St. Louis Park got the tying run aboard in the bottom of the seventh on Jacob Stillman's single that would go for naught on pop ups from Elias and Cornell to end the game.
The Millers improve their record to 15-5 and will take on the Wayzata Trojans in the winners bracket on Friday, May 26 at 4:30 PM at Central Middle School in Plymouth. The Orioles fell to 9-11 and host the Minneapolis South Tigers in the losers bracket, also on the 26th at 7 PM at Derrick Keller Field.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
2017 Section 6AAAA Baseball Preview
2017 SECTION 6AAAA BASEBALL PREVIEW
Despite the rain and chilly weather the last few days, it's time for high school baseball to begin the road to Target Field as HSGN previews the 2017 Section 6AAAA Baseball Tournament
The top seeded and defending state Class AAAA champion Wayzata Trojans got off to a solid 5-0 start before losing to their Lake Conference rival the Minnetonka Skippers. They played the Skippers for the second time this season and lost 4-3 on May 19. Looking to pull off the upset is the eighth seeded Minneapolis South Tigers. Even though they have a winning record, the Tigers were seeded ahead of the Cooper Hawks who had only two wins this season, including one that came against the St. Louis Park Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader on May 15. Mpls. South will need to solve Wayzata's pitching and score runs in bunches.
Though the St. Louis Park Orioles have a sub .500 record, they are the fourth seed and host the fifth seeded Minneapolis Washburn Millers. The Orioles will need to get solid pitching and cut down on errors to escape a 2-6 run since they upset Wayzata 5-4 on May 6. A player to keep an eye on is the future of the program in eight grader Sam Hunt. He can play three positions, catcher, pitcher and the outfield. The Millers went undefeated in the Minneapolis City Conference and rode an eight game winning streak early in the season including three shut outs that ended early due to the ten run rule. Can the Orioles shut down the Millers offensive attack?
Now to the lower bracket as the second seeded Hopkins Royals take on the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks. After enduring a couple of three game losing streaks this season, the Royals look like their putting things together as they beat Lake Conference rival Eden Prairie and shut out the St. Louis Park Orioles 7-0 on May 22. Hopkins played Washburn on May 8 and won their only game via the 10 run rule 14-3. As for the Hawks, they need to have an excellent all around game to beat the Royals just like they did in the May 15 nightcap against St. Louis Park. But what's baffling is that why a team with only two regular season wins is seeded seventh instead of eighth. Can they be the sleeper team and prove that their season wasn't all that bad?
Concluding the quarterfinal bracket is the sixth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers and the third seeded Armstrong Falcons. The Lakers have won six of their last seven games that included a four game stretch where they outscored their opponents 55-7. They have scored more than 10 runs in seven of their wins this season. They were scheduled to play Cooper on May 20 but that game like many others was postponed due to the all day rain that pelted the Twin Cities area. The Falcons, despite a 9-10 record faced Washburn in their regular season finale and won 9-5 in eight innings. They played Hopkins on April 12 and came up short 7-6. Is a rematch in the works?
So there you have it. A look at the matchups in Section 6AAAA. Can Mpls. South do what Holy Angels did several years ago in Section 4AA and come up from the eighth seed to the section final? There's plenty of exciting section baseball that begins on Wednesday, May 24.
Despite the rain and chilly weather the last few days, it's time for high school baseball to begin the road to Target Field as HSGN previews the 2017 Section 6AAAA Baseball Tournament
The top seeded and defending state Class AAAA champion Wayzata Trojans got off to a solid 5-0 start before losing to their Lake Conference rival the Minnetonka Skippers. They played the Skippers for the second time this season and lost 4-3 on May 19. Looking to pull off the upset is the eighth seeded Minneapolis South Tigers. Even though they have a winning record, the Tigers were seeded ahead of the Cooper Hawks who had only two wins this season, including one that came against the St. Louis Park Orioles in the second game of a doubleheader on May 15. Mpls. South will need to solve Wayzata's pitching and score runs in bunches.
Though the St. Louis Park Orioles have a sub .500 record, they are the fourth seed and host the fifth seeded Minneapolis Washburn Millers. The Orioles will need to get solid pitching and cut down on errors to escape a 2-6 run since they upset Wayzata 5-4 on May 6. A player to keep an eye on is the future of the program in eight grader Sam Hunt. He can play three positions, catcher, pitcher and the outfield. The Millers went undefeated in the Minneapolis City Conference and rode an eight game winning streak early in the season including three shut outs that ended early due to the ten run rule. Can the Orioles shut down the Millers offensive attack?
Now to the lower bracket as the second seeded Hopkins Royals take on the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks. After enduring a couple of three game losing streaks this season, the Royals look like their putting things together as they beat Lake Conference rival Eden Prairie and shut out the St. Louis Park Orioles 7-0 on May 22. Hopkins played Washburn on May 8 and won their only game via the 10 run rule 14-3. As for the Hawks, they need to have an excellent all around game to beat the Royals just like they did in the May 15 nightcap against St. Louis Park. But what's baffling is that why a team with only two regular season wins is seeded seventh instead of eighth. Can they be the sleeper team and prove that their season wasn't all that bad?
Concluding the quarterfinal bracket is the sixth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers and the third seeded Armstrong Falcons. The Lakers have won six of their last seven games that included a four game stretch where they outscored their opponents 55-7. They have scored more than 10 runs in seven of their wins this season. They were scheduled to play Cooper on May 20 but that game like many others was postponed due to the all day rain that pelted the Twin Cities area. The Falcons, despite a 9-10 record faced Washburn in their regular season finale and won 9-5 in eight innings. They played Hopkins on April 12 and came up short 7-6. Is a rematch in the works?
So there you have it. A look at the matchups in Section 6AAAA. Can Mpls. South do what Holy Angels did several years ago in Section 4AA and come up from the eighth seed to the section final? There's plenty of exciting section baseball that begins on Wednesday, May 24.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Two Site Doubleheader for HSGN on May 19
Due to rescheduling of a girls lacrosse postponement between the Mounds View Mustangs and the St. Louis Park Orioles on May 1 because of rain, the date and site were changed. Instead of Mounds View, St. Louis Park was the site for the Orioles final regular season home game that saw Laney Wolter score six goals to lead the Mustangs to a an 18-9 victory over the host Orioles Friday night.
Since the author of this blog is the public address announcer for girls lacrosse and baseball at St. Louis Park, it became a two site double header with girls lacrosse beginning at 5 PM, with baseball to follow at 7 at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park between the Orioles and the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.
First up was girls lacrosse as Talia Simonett scored from the right side to give the Orioles the early lead. The Mustangs would surge into the lead with four unanswered goals from Anna Solheim, Grace Nickoloff and two from Taylor Rimell. Roethler would end Mounds View's run as Anna Roethler received a pass from Halle Weinmann, broke through two defenders and scored. It would then become a back and forth exchange of goals between Roethler and Rimell that would put Mounds View ahead 5-4. Wolter would heat up for the Mustangs as she ended the first half with five goals and assisted on Rimell's fourth goal to give Mounds View a 12-4 halftime lead.
Mounds View would distance themselves from St. Louis Park in the second half, scoring the first three goals. Wolter, Solheim and Rimell would tally for the Mustangs. The Orioles would score three goals as Roethler scooped up a ground ball that followed a pass from Sofia Roloff, that resulted in a ground ball. Roethler scooped it up and sent the ball to the net. Roloff would pick up her second assist as she found Sara McCalllon and she would score the goal. Roethler would score her fourth goal, scoring from the center slot. Kaitlyn Siebert would strike twice with a pair of goals. Maira Robert would also contribute as she made making an assist.
Roethler would also score twice and it gave her five goals for the game. They got goals from Robert and Morgan Kelly to conclude the scoring,
The Mustangs improved their record to 6-5 and travels to Woodbury to face the Royals at 7 PM. The Orioles fell to 4-7 and will also be on the road and will also be in action on the 25th as head to Bloomington to take on the Kennedy Eagles
About five minutes later, it was on to Derrick Keller Field for Senior Night as the Oriole baseball team took on the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles. It was "Double double toil and trouble" for the Eagles as St. Louis Park hit four consecutive doubles in the bottom of the first inning en route to an 11-7 win.
The Orioles sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the first as Connor Cornell, Riley Dvorak, Julien Shadle and Shea Pekarek hit doubles that resulted in three runs.
St. Louis Park would add two runs in the bottom of the second as the Kennedy defense committed three errors. Dvorak's RBI single scored Johnny Sorenson and Cornell would score on a wild pitch by Hoyt DeVolder. They would extend their lead to eight in the third that included a two RBI single by Dvorak.
Oriole starting pitcher Noah Fracassi took a no hitter into the top of the fourth inning but he was pulled after giving up consecutive walks to Erik Swenson and Kyle Conzemius. Jacob Stillman came in to retire the next two batter but gave up the first Kennedy hit in the top of the fifth as John Kern hit a two RBI single.
DeVolder would double home Conzemius in the top of the sixth and Ben Cradle would hit a ground out to Dvorak at short to score DeVolder. In the bottom of the sixth, Luke Mobley would hit a two RBI single and score on Stillman's single
DeVolder would also bring home Swenson and Cradle's RBI double capped a three run seventh inning. Johnny Sorenson, who would pick up the save as he retired Jacob Ekholm and Kern with the bases loaded to preserve the win.
Prior to the start of the game, Cornell, Shadle, Fracassi, Matthew Meyer, Eddie Halvorson Sam Amundson and Jack Elias were honored in a Senior Night ceremony. Student manager Riley Hannon was also honored threw the first pitch.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 7-11 and concludes the regular season Saturday, May 20 at noon at Hopkins. Kennedy closes their season on Monday, May 22 as they host the Mpls. South Tigers at 7 PM at Red Haddox Field in Bloomington.
Since the author of this blog is the public address announcer for girls lacrosse and baseball at St. Louis Park, it became a two site double header with girls lacrosse beginning at 5 PM, with baseball to follow at 7 at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park between the Orioles and the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.
First up was girls lacrosse as Talia Simonett scored from the right side to give the Orioles the early lead. The Mustangs would surge into the lead with four unanswered goals from Anna Solheim, Grace Nickoloff and two from Taylor Rimell. Roethler would end Mounds View's run as Anna Roethler received a pass from Halle Weinmann, broke through two defenders and scored. It would then become a back and forth exchange of goals between Roethler and Rimell that would put Mounds View ahead 5-4. Wolter would heat up for the Mustangs as she ended the first half with five goals and assisted on Rimell's fourth goal to give Mounds View a 12-4 halftime lead.
Mounds View would distance themselves from St. Louis Park in the second half, scoring the first three goals. Wolter, Solheim and Rimell would tally for the Mustangs. The Orioles would score three goals as Roethler scooped up a ground ball that followed a pass from Sofia Roloff, that resulted in a ground ball. Roethler scooped it up and sent the ball to the net. Roloff would pick up her second assist as she found Sara McCalllon and she would score the goal. Roethler would score her fourth goal, scoring from the center slot. Kaitlyn Siebert would strike twice with a pair of goals. Maira Robert would also contribute as she made making an assist.
Roethler would also score twice and it gave her five goals for the game. They got goals from Robert and Morgan Kelly to conclude the scoring,
The Mustangs improved their record to 6-5 and travels to Woodbury to face the Royals at 7 PM. The Orioles fell to 4-7 and will also be on the road and will also be in action on the 25th as head to Bloomington to take on the Kennedy Eagles
About five minutes later, it was on to Derrick Keller Field for Senior Night as the Oriole baseball team took on the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles. It was "Double double toil and trouble" for the Eagles as St. Louis Park hit four consecutive doubles in the bottom of the first inning en route to an 11-7 win.
The Orioles sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the first as Connor Cornell, Riley Dvorak, Julien Shadle and Shea Pekarek hit doubles that resulted in three runs.
St. Louis Park would add two runs in the bottom of the second as the Kennedy defense committed three errors. Dvorak's RBI single scored Johnny Sorenson and Cornell would score on a wild pitch by Hoyt DeVolder. They would extend their lead to eight in the third that included a two RBI single by Dvorak.
Oriole starting pitcher Noah Fracassi took a no hitter into the top of the fourth inning but he was pulled after giving up consecutive walks to Erik Swenson and Kyle Conzemius. Jacob Stillman came in to retire the next two batter but gave up the first Kennedy hit in the top of the fifth as John Kern hit a two RBI single.
DeVolder would double home Conzemius in the top of the sixth and Ben Cradle would hit a ground out to Dvorak at short to score DeVolder. In the bottom of the sixth, Luke Mobley would hit a two RBI single and score on Stillman's single
DeVolder would also bring home Swenson and Cradle's RBI double capped a three run seventh inning. Johnny Sorenson, who would pick up the save as he retired Jacob Ekholm and Kern with the bases loaded to preserve the win.
Prior to the start of the game, Cornell, Shadle, Fracassi, Matthew Meyer, Eddie Halvorson Sam Amundson and Jack Elias were honored in a Senior Night ceremony. Student manager Riley Hannon was also honored threw the first pitch.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 7-11 and concludes the regular season Saturday, May 20 at noon at Hopkins. Kennedy closes their season on Monday, May 22 as they host the Mpls. South Tigers at 7 PM at Red Haddox Field in Bloomington.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Simonett Leads SLP Orioles to Senior Night Victory
Thursday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park girls lacrosse team and one of the six seniors recognized before the games, Talia Simonett scored two goals and assisted on two others to lead the host Orioles to a 7-4 win over the Duluth Wolfpack.
It took only :16 for the Orioles to take the early lead as Anna Roethler, who will play soccer next season at Carleton College in Northfield, made a centering pass to Sofia Roloff and she shot the ball into the net. Josie Peterson would even the score for the Wolf pack :40 later. St. Louis Park would regain the lead on a goal by SJ. They would take a two goal lead when Simonett fed Roloff and she scored her second goal. Duluth cut the lead to one as Fayja Erceg went past SJ and drove the ball to the net. The Wolfpack would tie the game at three on a goal by Chloe Cederstrom with 3:10 to go in the half. But St. Louis Park would head back in front when Halle Weinmann passed to Roethler and she would score with :13.9 to go and give the Orioles a 4-3 halftime lead.
The Wolfpack would tie the game at four to begin the second half on Annie Reichhoff's goal. Would there be a happy bus ride home up I-35 to the Twin Ports? Not on Senior Night for the Orioles as the scored the next three goals to put the game away. Simonett would pick up her second assist as she set up SJ's second goal to put St.Louis Park ahead. She would also show her speed and athleticism as she would score the game's final two goals. Her first goal came following a pass from Anna Van Pilsum-Johnson and she went around the right side of the net, cut into the center slot and drove the ball to the net. Simonett would add her second goal and that concluded the scoring.
Prior to the start of the game, in addition to Simonett, Roloff, Roethler, SJ and Dania El Ghandour were the other seniors honored.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 4-6 and wraps up their home season Friday afternoon at 5 PM against the Mounds View Mustangs. Duluth falls to 5-6 and will also be in action on the 19th as they head down I-94 to St. Paul to face the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders at 7 PM at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on the campus of St. Thomas University.
Wolfpack assistant coach Kari Romano is the granddaughter of former Minnesota-Duluth men's hockey coach and athletic director Ralph Romano.
It took only :16 for the Orioles to take the early lead as Anna Roethler, who will play soccer next season at Carleton College in Northfield, made a centering pass to Sofia Roloff and she shot the ball into the net. Josie Peterson would even the score for the Wolf pack :40 later. St. Louis Park would regain the lead on a goal by SJ. They would take a two goal lead when Simonett fed Roloff and she scored her second goal. Duluth cut the lead to one as Fayja Erceg went past SJ and drove the ball to the net. The Wolfpack would tie the game at three on a goal by Chloe Cederstrom with 3:10 to go in the half. But St. Louis Park would head back in front when Halle Weinmann passed to Roethler and she would score with :13.9 to go and give the Orioles a 4-3 halftime lead.
The Wolfpack would tie the game at four to begin the second half on Annie Reichhoff's goal. Would there be a happy bus ride home up I-35 to the Twin Ports? Not on Senior Night for the Orioles as the scored the next three goals to put the game away. Simonett would pick up her second assist as she set up SJ's second goal to put St.Louis Park ahead. She would also show her speed and athleticism as she would score the game's final two goals. Her first goal came following a pass from Anna Van Pilsum-Johnson and she went around the right side of the net, cut into the center slot and drove the ball to the net. Simonett would add her second goal and that concluded the scoring.
Prior to the start of the game, in addition to Simonett, Roloff, Roethler, SJ and Dania El Ghandour were the other seniors honored.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 4-6 and wraps up their home season Friday afternoon at 5 PM against the Mounds View Mustangs. Duluth falls to 5-6 and will also be in action on the 19th as they head down I-94 to St. Paul to face the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders at 7 PM at O'Shaughnessy Stadium on the campus of St. Thomas University.
Wolfpack assistant coach Kari Romano is the granddaughter of former Minnesota-Duluth men's hockey coach and athletic director Ralph Romano.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Chanhassen Storm Rains on SLP Orioles Parade
Though there was no rain pelting the turf field at St. Louis Park, the Orioles net was raining hat tricks from Kelly Walstad, Livie Saatzer and Erica Peterson to lead the Chanhassen Storm to an 18-4 win over the host Orioles Tuesday night.
It was the fifth win in six games for the Storm. Their only loss in that stretch was 17-10 to the Minnetonka Skippers on May 12.
Chanhassen opened the first half scoring on Walstad's first goal that came on a centering pass from Peterson. St. Louis Park would tie the game on Talia Simonett's goal from the right side. That was the only good news for the Orioles in the first half. The bad news came as the Storm would score eight unanswered goals. Walstad , Saatzer and Peterson would account for six goals. Saatzer's second goal would come on a centering pass from Abby Anderson. Also tallying for Chanhassen were Emma Silbernagel and Maddie Waldron. St. Louis park would end Chanhassen's run with two consecutive goals from Simonett. The Storm would add two more goals to their ledge as Kayler Loubser would tally and Maddie Waldrom wrapped up the first half scoring with :02.1 remaining to give Chanhassen a 11-3 halftime lead.
Erica Peterson would strike early for the Storm, scoring on a free shot :38 into the second half. Rowan Hodgins would score Chanhassen's next two goals, the second came on an assist from Peterson. Elle Wagner would also score on a free shot. As the game went on to running time, Waldron received a pass from Silbernagel and she sent the ball toward the net. The Orioles would get a break that would result in their next goal. SJ centered the ball to Anna Roethler and she went up field, going through the defense and she was fouled inside and awarded a free shot. Roethler would aim the ball into the net, ending the Storm's run at five. But before the Storm would begin a long bus ride down Highway 212, they would conclude the scoring with two more goals. The first would come from Grace Doerring and Wagner would conclude the scoring with 5:40 left in the game.
Chanhassen improves their record to 7-2 and heads to Orono on Wednesday, May 17 for a 6:30 game against the Spartans. St. Louis Park drops to 3-5 and hosts the Duluth Wolfpack on Thursday, May 18 at 7 PM. It will also be Senior Night as six Oriole seniors will be honored prior to the start of the game.
It was the fifth win in six games for the Storm. Their only loss in that stretch was 17-10 to the Minnetonka Skippers on May 12.
Chanhassen opened the first half scoring on Walstad's first goal that came on a centering pass from Peterson. St. Louis Park would tie the game on Talia Simonett's goal from the right side. That was the only good news for the Orioles in the first half. The bad news came as the Storm would score eight unanswered goals. Walstad , Saatzer and Peterson would account for six goals. Saatzer's second goal would come on a centering pass from Abby Anderson. Also tallying for Chanhassen were Emma Silbernagel and Maddie Waldron. St. Louis park would end Chanhassen's run with two consecutive goals from Simonett. The Storm would add two more goals to their ledge as Kayler Loubser would tally and Maddie Waldrom wrapped up the first half scoring with :02.1 remaining to give Chanhassen a 11-3 halftime lead.
Erica Peterson would strike early for the Storm, scoring on a free shot :38 into the second half. Rowan Hodgins would score Chanhassen's next two goals, the second came on an assist from Peterson. Elle Wagner would also score on a free shot. As the game went on to running time, Waldron received a pass from Silbernagel and she sent the ball toward the net. The Orioles would get a break that would result in their next goal. SJ centered the ball to Anna Roethler and she went up field, going through the defense and she was fouled inside and awarded a free shot. Roethler would aim the ball into the net, ending the Storm's run at five. But before the Storm would begin a long bus ride down Highway 212, they would conclude the scoring with two more goals. The first would come from Grace Doerring and Wagner would conclude the scoring with 5:40 left in the game.
Chanhassen improves their record to 7-2 and heads to Orono on Wednesday, May 17 for a 6:30 game against the Spartans. St. Louis Park drops to 3-5 and hosts the Duluth Wolfpack on Thursday, May 18 at 7 PM. It will also be Senior Night as six Oriole seniors will be honored prior to the start of the game.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Cooper Hawks and SLP Orioles Split Doubleheader
An early afternoon shower gave way to a beautiful Monday as the Cooper Hawks and the St. Louis Park Orioles split a doubleheader with the Orioles flying over the Hawks in the first game 15-1 and in the second game, Cooper broke a 6-6 tie with a six run seven inning to beat St. Louis Park 11-6.
In the first game it was all St. Louis Park as the Orioles scored two runs in the second inning on a two run single by eighth grade catcher Sam Hunt. They added three more runs in the third to go up by five, including an RBI single by Brent Ryan.
Hunt would account for the only run in the top of the fourth with a home run over the right field fence. He would also drive in two more runs to give him five RBIs for the day as the Orioles would put the game away with nine runs in the top of the sixth. St. Louis Park sent 13 batters to the plate and the first nine would reach base and head home as walks and wild pitches contributed to the lengthy half inning. Josh Gabrick would steal home in the bottom of the sixth as an attempted pick off play for St. Louis Park accounted for the only Cooper run.
Jack Elias pitched a complete game for St. Louis Park, giving up only three hits and striking out four batters.
Now to the second game as both teams would tally in the first inning. The Hawks got their run on a ground out to second baseman shea Pekarek that scored Will Young and the Orioles vaulted into the lead with two runs on back to back doubles from Riley Dvorak and Julien Shadle.
St. Louis Park would add three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on RBI singles from Johnny Sorenson, Connor Cornell and Dvorak. But the Hawks would fly into the lead with four runs in the top of the sixth, including a two run double by Martin Spies. The Orioles got a run back in the top of the inning on an RBI single by Jacob Stillman that scored Luke Mobley.
Cooper would put the game away in the top of the seventh as they scored six runs and took advantage of lackluster St. Louis Park fielding. Spies hit his second double of the game and Zach Thomas had an RBI single. The Orioles had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh as they scored two runs on a single from Pekarek and a sacrifice fly by Mobley that scored Dvorak. The bases were loaded with two outs and Stillman had a chance to clear the bases and send the fans home happy. But he would hit into a force play to end the game.
The Hawks record is now 2-14 and the will host the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles on Wednesday, May 17 at 4:30 PM. The Orioles have a 7-10 record and are also in action on the 17th as the head to Benilde-St. Margaret's for a 7 PM game with the Red Knights.
In the first game it was all St. Louis Park as the Orioles scored two runs in the second inning on a two run single by eighth grade catcher Sam Hunt. They added three more runs in the third to go up by five, including an RBI single by Brent Ryan.
Hunt would account for the only run in the top of the fourth with a home run over the right field fence. He would also drive in two more runs to give him five RBIs for the day as the Orioles would put the game away with nine runs in the top of the sixth. St. Louis Park sent 13 batters to the plate and the first nine would reach base and head home as walks and wild pitches contributed to the lengthy half inning. Josh Gabrick would steal home in the bottom of the sixth as an attempted pick off play for St. Louis Park accounted for the only Cooper run.
Jack Elias pitched a complete game for St. Louis Park, giving up only three hits and striking out four batters.
Now to the second game as both teams would tally in the first inning. The Hawks got their run on a ground out to second baseman shea Pekarek that scored Will Young and the Orioles vaulted into the lead with two runs on back to back doubles from Riley Dvorak and Julien Shadle.
St. Louis Park would add three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on RBI singles from Johnny Sorenson, Connor Cornell and Dvorak. But the Hawks would fly into the lead with four runs in the top of the sixth, including a two run double by Martin Spies. The Orioles got a run back in the top of the inning on an RBI single by Jacob Stillman that scored Luke Mobley.
Cooper would put the game away in the top of the seventh as they scored six runs and took advantage of lackluster St. Louis Park fielding. Spies hit his second double of the game and Zach Thomas had an RBI single. The Orioles had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh as they scored two runs on a single from Pekarek and a sacrifice fly by Mobley that scored Dvorak. The bases were loaded with two outs and Stillman had a chance to clear the bases and send the fans home happy. But he would hit into a force play to end the game.
The Hawks record is now 2-14 and the will host the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles on Wednesday, May 17 at 4:30 PM. The Orioles have a 7-10 record and are also in action on the 17th as the head to Benilde-St. Margaret's for a 7 PM game with the Red Knights.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
HSGN's Top 10 Worst Game Shows of All-Time
There have been many game shows that have aired since network television began in the 1940s. There have been classics such as What's My Line? Password, The Price is Right and Hollywood Squares but there have been shows that have been just plain bad. Here is HSGN's list of the Top 10 Worst Game Shows of All-time.
10. Blankety Blanks. Bill Cullen has hosted 23 game shows, the most of any host. Some shows he hosted ran 13 weeks but Blankety Blanks had the shortest run of any show he ran. Coming from producer Bob Stewart, two celebrity-contestant teams played to solve a word puzzle. The player who solves the puzzle gets to solve a Blankety Blank, which was usually a pun. The winner got the money, which was determined by electronic cards that were inserted into a device on Cullen's desk. The losing team received a strike. Three strikes and the player was finished. After four weeks, the format was changed to a team who earns $2500 wins the game. The game itself was too slow and the puns weren't good. After 10 weeks, Blankety Blanks went blank and was replaced by the show it replaced, reruns of The Brady Bunch.
9. Celebrity Bullseye. The production team of Jack Barry and Dan Enright were on a roll with revivals of The Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough have successful runs in syndication. In 1980, a third show from the duo debuted titled Bullseye with Jim Lange as host. The show did well in its first season and was renewed for a second. Three months into the second season, the show changes format and becomes Celebrity Bullseye, with celebrity contestants playing for charity. Here's where the show goes downhill. The questions are all multiple choices and even worse, the celebrities keep asking for the three choices to be repeated on most of the questions, slowing down the pace of the game. An enjoyable show in its first season later becomes unwatchable. Fortunately, the show ended production after two seasons.
8. That ****Quiz Show. Comedy game shows have had a checkered history since You Bet Your Life went off the air in 1961. Hollywood Squares and the 70s incarnation of Match Game were two hit game shows that had successful long runs. But there have been other comedy games that came and went such as Make Me Laugh, Can You Top This and Laff-A-Thon. The latter was a short-lived show on Showtime that was hosted by comedian Jimmy Brogan. In 1982, there was That **** Quiz Show, the only show hosted by twin midget brothers John & Greg Rice. The show featured three contestant teams of two who had unusual occupations or claims to fame. The scoring system was similar to You Bet Your Life whereas a team started with $500 and could bet as much money as the want on each question. Whoever had the highest score came back for a bonus question. All the questions had four possible answers and there was at least one per show that kept making fun of the blogger's former home state New Jersey. The show turned out to be a flop and ended production after 13 weeks.
7. That's Amore. Based on an Italian game show, the show used the same host as the originating country, Luca Barbesheri. Three couples aired gripes about each other and the audience voted for the couple who was right about their beefs. Is this a game show? This sounds more like topics for talk shows hosted by Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, Steve Wilkos, etc. The only good thing about the show was that the theme song was the show's title, a hit song by Dean Martin. Otherwise, it was a terrible premise that lasted only a season in syndication.
6. Treasure Isle. Though Treasure Isle made game show history in 1967 by becoming the first outdoor daytime game show to be taped in Florida. Backed by millionaire John D. MacArthur and taped at his Colonnades Hotel in Palm Beach Shores, the show defied the criteria for a hit show. The rules were too complicated to follow and the home audience was not involved in the show, they were more of a spectator. It was the only game show John Bartholomew Tucker hosted and he closed each slow with the line "When you head for home, you gotta slide."
5. The Magnificent Marble Machine. Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley were best known for creating game shows with larger than life sets such as Video Village, Hollywood Squares and the kids game show Runaround. But in 1975, they created a show that would tun out to be a major flop. Two celebrity contestant teams played a word game where clues came on an electronic screen. The first team to get five (later four) correct answers went on to play a giant pinball machine to win prizes. If they reached a goal of 15,000 points that would go down by 1,000 until it was won, they team would play the all cash gold moneyball. The show's pinball format was boring since it's more of a participant game and not much of a game for spectators. Also, the machine kept breaking down and the balls had to be repainted after each game. Worse, the game went through a number of format changes, which is usually a sign of a bad show. In addition to the changes in the pinball game, that included only bumpers counting for prizes, the show also changed to an all-celebrity format, usually the kiss of death for any game show. HSGN can only describe this show in one word, TILT!
4. Three's a Crowd. Did Chuck Barris go too far with this show, that had the premise of "Who knows a man best, his wife or his secretary? The show was structured similar to The Newlywed Game and it drew fire from groups such as the National Organization from Women that cause Barris to yank the show from syndication in the spring of 1980. The backlash hurt him so much that he also ended production on his other shows, including The Dating Game and the Newlywed Game. As for host Jim Peck, he would move from this turkey to substituting for Jack Barry as host on The Joker's Wild and was set to take over as permanent host in the fall of 1984. But Barry died of a heart attack in May and Dan Enright decided to go with Bill Cullen instead of Peck.
3. You're in the Picture. The shortest lived of any of the shows on this list, it was hosted by Jackie Gleason and aired on January 20, 1961. Four panelists stuck their head through cardboard cutouts and through questions b Gleason, they had to guess the setting that was depicted. One of the biggest game show bombs of all-time. The following weak, Gleason appeared solo and made a half hour apology for the travesty that occurred the previous week. The following week, Gleason returned with a variety show before beginning the American Scene magazine in 1962. Unfortunately, this was his only game show and it wasn't in the picture for a long run.
2. Card Sharks (2001 version). The first two incarnations of Card Sharrks had two three year runs and were hosted by Jim Perry and Bob Eubanks. A syndicated version also aired with Bill Rafferty as host. Those versions were simple, fast paced gambling games that involved the home audience, especially when the home viewer could guess how many people responded to a poll of 100 people. But the 2001 version was a totally different show that was hosted by Pat Bullard and produced by FremantleMedia got rid of what was the best part of the game, the survey questions. Instead, they went to a straight seven card game. But in order to change the card, they could use a "Clip Chip', that showed a "Street Smarts" like situation and if they predicted the correct outcome, they got to change the card. The only part of the game that didn't change was the money cards. That was the good news. The bad news was this version of Card Sharks had a much shorter run than its predecessors.
And now for the number one worst game show of all-time...
1. The Neighbors. Hosted by Regis Philbin, the show featured five female neighbors, with two serving as contestants and the other three comprising the panel. The premise was to find out how well the neighbors know each other. Who cares what Neighbor A said about Neighbor B or what Neighbor C would say about Neighbor D? It was a show that left the viewer as a spectator and had no real value at all. It wasn't an interesting show to watch. The good news was that more than 20 years after The Neighbors was mercifully canceled, Philbin would redeem himself with the prime time game show hit Who Wants to be a Millionaire? where he created one of the famous game show catch phrases "Is that your final answer?" HSGN's final answer is The Neighbors is the worst game show of all-time.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Senior Night Shellacking for SLP Orioles
Friday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park boys lacrosse team and they celebrated in style as senior captain Brody Ilstrup scored six goals and junior Jackson Lochan added another six to lead the Orioles to a 16-5 win over the Breck Mustangs.
If you arrived late because of road construction, you missed plenty of scoring in the early going. The Orioles would score four goals in the first 1:42 Lochan, who scored six goals in the Chaska game would score the first two goals. He scored on a rebound :37 into the game and tallied from the center slot :16 later. St. Louis Park would go up by three when Mitchell Vortherms made a centering pass to Kyle Hedblom and he would send it to the net. Zach Ryan would score from the right side :30 alter and the lead increased to four. Vortherms would score the fifth goal of the period off a pass from Lochan. Then it was Ilstrup who would wrap up the first period of the scoring with two goals. The second came from the 25 yard line and the Orioles were up by seven.
Ilstrup, who will play next season at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI would open the second period scoring with a line drive goal. Breck would end the Orioles run at eight on a center slot goal from Gavin Hopping. Ilstrup would score the Orioles next two goals. His first came when he went around the left side of the net, found an open spot and scored. He would score his next goal on a Mustang turnover. Michael Kenney would end the second period scoring for the Mustangs when he scored with :02.3 to play and the Orioles led at the half 10-2.
St. Louis Park would score five unanswered goals in the third period as Lochan would find the net four times to give him 12 goals in two games. He would score his first :32 into the period on a pass from Ilstrup. His second goal came from the right side. Hedblom would score the next goal before Lochan added two more. He displayed outstanding speed as he cut to the center slot and lined the ball to the goal. He would added his six goal with 1:09 left in the period.
Breck would finally get into an offensive rhythm in the fourth period on Hayden Parkhill's pass to Hopping and he would score his second goal. Blaine Madson would score from the center slot. St. Louis Park got its lone goal of the period as once again, Ilstrup intercepted a Mustang pass and found the open net. Brendan Madson would wrap up the scoring for Breck as the ball reached the net at the final horn.
Ilstrup was one of four seniors who was recognized at halftime. The other three were Benji Wyberg, Ernesto Garcia and Grant Plender.
The Orioles improved their record to 5-4 and begin a season ending road trip on Tuesday, May 16 against the Providence Academy Lions at 7 PM in Plymouth. The Mustangs fall to 3-6 and host the Orono Spartans on Saturday, May 20 at 11:30 AM.
If you arrived late because of road construction, you missed plenty of scoring in the early going. The Orioles would score four goals in the first 1:42 Lochan, who scored six goals in the Chaska game would score the first two goals. He scored on a rebound :37 into the game and tallied from the center slot :16 later. St. Louis Park would go up by three when Mitchell Vortherms made a centering pass to Kyle Hedblom and he would send it to the net. Zach Ryan would score from the right side :30 alter and the lead increased to four. Vortherms would score the fifth goal of the period off a pass from Lochan. Then it was Ilstrup who would wrap up the first period of the scoring with two goals. The second came from the 25 yard line and the Orioles were up by seven.
Ilstrup, who will play next season at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI would open the second period scoring with a line drive goal. Breck would end the Orioles run at eight on a center slot goal from Gavin Hopping. Ilstrup would score the Orioles next two goals. His first came when he went around the left side of the net, found an open spot and scored. He would score his next goal on a Mustang turnover. Michael Kenney would end the second period scoring for the Mustangs when he scored with :02.3 to play and the Orioles led at the half 10-2.
St. Louis Park would score five unanswered goals in the third period as Lochan would find the net four times to give him 12 goals in two games. He would score his first :32 into the period on a pass from Ilstrup. His second goal came from the right side. Hedblom would score the next goal before Lochan added two more. He displayed outstanding speed as he cut to the center slot and lined the ball to the goal. He would added his six goal with 1:09 left in the period.
Breck would finally get into an offensive rhythm in the fourth period on Hayden Parkhill's pass to Hopping and he would score his second goal. Blaine Madson would score from the center slot. St. Louis Park got its lone goal of the period as once again, Ilstrup intercepted a Mustang pass and found the open net. Brendan Madson would wrap up the scoring for Breck as the ball reached the net at the final horn.
Ilstrup was one of four seniors who was recognized at halftime. The other three were Benji Wyberg, Ernesto Garcia and Grant Plender.
The Orioles improved their record to 5-4 and begin a season ending road trip on Tuesday, May 16 against the Providence Academy Lions at 7 PM in Plymouth. The Mustangs fall to 3-6 and host the Orono Spartans on Saturday, May 20 at 11:30 AM.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Chaska Hawks Hold Off SLP Orioles
Riley Swenson's two run homer in the top of the fifth inning broke open a close game and Jacob Goraczkowski struck out two batters with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Chaska Hawks to a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles Wednesday night at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.
The Hawks got out of the starting gate in the top of the first with three runs. Benji Hildalgo and Reid Young led off the game with singles and Goraczowski drove them home with a two run double. He would score on Mac Born's RBI single to put Chaska ahead by three.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Orioles would get on the scoreboard as Riley Dvorak, who would be on base in all four plate appearances, hit an RBI single to score Johnny Sorenson.
Chaska would widen their lead in the top of the fifth that started with a walk by Benji Hildalgo and ended with a two run home over the padded left center field fence that would put the Hawks ahead 5-1. St. Louis Park would load the bases in the bottom of the inning and had a chance to vault into the lead but Dvorak hit into a force play that ended when Jacob Stillman was thrown out at home plate. Luke Mobley would fly out to center field to lead the runners stranded.
The Hawks added a run to their ledger in the top of the seventh. A throwing error by Oriole catcher Sam Hunt on a dropped third strike enabled pinch hitter Joseph Jersak to reach base. Jersak would account for the Hawks only seventh inning rum as he would score on a sacrifice fly from Benji Hildalgo The Orioles had their best effort in the bottom of the seventh as Connor Cornell's RBI double would score Jack Elias. Chaska would make a pitching change as Goraczkowski would enter the game in relief of Zach Hartford and hoped to clinch the victory. St. Louis Park would end the game with the bases loaded as Mobley and Shadle would strike out to end the potential rally.
Hartford would strike out four batters as he struck out the side in the fourth inning.
The Hawks improved their record to 11-3 and heads up to New Hope on Friday, May 12 to face the Cooper Hawks at 4:30 PM. The Orioles fell to 6-7 and will also be on the road on the 12th, heading to Chanhassen to weather the Storm.
The Hawks got out of the starting gate in the top of the first with three runs. Benji Hildalgo and Reid Young led off the game with singles and Goraczowski drove them home with a two run double. He would score on Mac Born's RBI single to put Chaska ahead by three.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Orioles would get on the scoreboard as Riley Dvorak, who would be on base in all four plate appearances, hit an RBI single to score Johnny Sorenson.
Chaska would widen their lead in the top of the fifth that started with a walk by Benji Hildalgo and ended with a two run home over the padded left center field fence that would put the Hawks ahead 5-1. St. Louis Park would load the bases in the bottom of the inning and had a chance to vault into the lead but Dvorak hit into a force play that ended when Jacob Stillman was thrown out at home plate. Luke Mobley would fly out to center field to lead the runners stranded.
The Hawks added a run to their ledger in the top of the seventh. A throwing error by Oriole catcher Sam Hunt on a dropped third strike enabled pinch hitter Joseph Jersak to reach base. Jersak would account for the Hawks only seventh inning rum as he would score on a sacrifice fly from Benji Hildalgo The Orioles had their best effort in the bottom of the seventh as Connor Cornell's RBI double would score Jack Elias. Chaska would make a pitching change as Goraczkowski would enter the game in relief of Zach Hartford and hoped to clinch the victory. St. Louis Park would end the game with the bases loaded as Mobley and Shadle would strike out to end the potential rally.
Hartford would strike out four batters as he struck out the side in the fourth inning.
The Hawks improved their record to 11-3 and heads up to New Hope on Friday, May 12 to face the Cooper Hawks at 4:30 PM. The Orioles fell to 6-7 and will also be on the road on the 12th, heading to Chanhassen to weather the Storm.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Richardson Named Head SLP Orioles Head Girls Basketball Coach
A former all around athlete at St. Louis Park will be the school's next head girls basketball coach.
Arsenio Richardson, who last season served as the Orioles junior varsity boys basketball coach has been named the new head coach of the St. Louis Park girls basketball team. He replaces Brian Massie, who resigned after three years with the program.
Richardson is no stranger to St. Louis Park athletics. He was a member of the Oriole football team and played ion the 2004 team that advanced to the section final and lost to the Hutchinson Tigers. He also played on the boys basketball team since he was an eighth grader and in the spring he ran on the boys track and field team.
After graduating from St. Louis Park, Richardson would play football for the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for three seasons until the school dropped the sport. He would obtain his bachelor's degree at the University of Sioux Falls before returning to St. Louis Park.
In addition to coaching basketball, Richardson also served as the running backs coach on the Oriole football team.
Last season, the Oriole girls basketball team finished with a record of 11-16. Can Richardson lead St. Louis Park to its first winning season in years?
Arsenio Richardson, who last season served as the Orioles junior varsity boys basketball coach has been named the new head coach of the St. Louis Park girls basketball team. He replaces Brian Massie, who resigned after three years with the program.
Richardson is no stranger to St. Louis Park athletics. He was a member of the Oriole football team and played ion the 2004 team that advanced to the section final and lost to the Hutchinson Tigers. He also played on the boys basketball team since he was an eighth grader and in the spring he ran on the boys track and field team.
After graduating from St. Louis Park, Richardson would play football for the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for three seasons until the school dropped the sport. He would obtain his bachelor's degree at the University of Sioux Falls before returning to St. Louis Park.
In addition to coaching basketball, Richardson also served as the running backs coach on the Oriole football team.
Last season, the Oriole girls basketball team finished with a record of 11-16. Can Richardson lead St. Louis Park to its first winning season in years?
Lochan Locks Up SLP Orioles Win Over Chaska Hawks
Junior Jackson Lochan put a hammerlock on the Chaska Hawks defense by scoring six goals to lead the host St. Louis Park Orioles to a 14-10 win Tuesday night.
The scoring would go back and forth in the first period as the Hawks struck first on a center slot goal from Gabe Friedbauer. The Orioles tied the game when Liam O'Neill fed Brody Ilstrup on the left side and it was even at one. Mitchel Vortherms would put St. Louis Park ahead :44 with a center slot goal but the lead would be short lived as Chaska scored four unanswered goals in a 1:35 span. Donavin Black started the run, followed by William Bronson's lock stick goal from the 20 yard line. Black would start a variation of basketball's give and go as he made an inside pass to Friedbauer for his second goal and he would get the hat trick :26 later to give the Hawks a 5-2 lead.
Lochan scored from the center slot to begin the second period scoring for the Orioles. Ilstrup would tally twice to tie the game at five. The Hawks would regain the led as Dylan Lange went around the right side of the net, cut into the center slot and sent the ball to the net to give Chaska a 6-5 halftime lead.
St. Louis Park surged into the lead in the third period with six unanswered goals, the first four coming from Lochan. He would score two in the period's first minute and he would add two more goals. On his fifth goal of the game, he utilized his speed as he drove down the field like traffic down Dakota Ave., going past several Chaska defenders and displaying outstanding stick handling to give the orioles a three goal lead. It wasn't all Lochan in the third period as Kyle Hedblom would score from the right side :59 later and Zach Ryan would score with :03.4 left in the period.
The Orioles would extend their run to eight in the fourth period with two more goals as Lochan picked up goal number six :17 into the period. Ryan would pick up his second goal :47 later. The Hawks would end the Orioles 8-0 run as David Lyon's long stick shot roared into the net. It looked like Chaksa would begin a comeback late in the period with three goals in a :54 window. Friedbauer would get the hat trick with a center slot goal, then Black took advantage of a St. Louis park turnover and scored :27 later. Lange would score from the left side :28 following Friedbauer but that would be all Chaska could do.
St. Louis Park won their third straight game to improve their record to 4-4. They will wrap up their home season on Friday, May 12 hosting the Breck Mustangs at 7 PM. Chaska lost their seventh straight game and fell to 1-7. They will also be in action on the 12th, hosting the Simley Spartans at 7 PM.
The scoring would go back and forth in the first period as the Hawks struck first on a center slot goal from Gabe Friedbauer. The Orioles tied the game when Liam O'Neill fed Brody Ilstrup on the left side and it was even at one. Mitchel Vortherms would put St. Louis Park ahead :44 with a center slot goal but the lead would be short lived as Chaska scored four unanswered goals in a 1:35 span. Donavin Black started the run, followed by William Bronson's lock stick goal from the 20 yard line. Black would start a variation of basketball's give and go as he made an inside pass to Friedbauer for his second goal and he would get the hat trick :26 later to give the Hawks a 5-2 lead.
Lochan scored from the center slot to begin the second period scoring for the Orioles. Ilstrup would tally twice to tie the game at five. The Hawks would regain the led as Dylan Lange went around the right side of the net, cut into the center slot and sent the ball to the net to give Chaska a 6-5 halftime lead.
St. Louis Park surged into the lead in the third period with six unanswered goals, the first four coming from Lochan. He would score two in the period's first minute and he would add two more goals. On his fifth goal of the game, he utilized his speed as he drove down the field like traffic down Dakota Ave., going past several Chaska defenders and displaying outstanding stick handling to give the orioles a three goal lead. It wasn't all Lochan in the third period as Kyle Hedblom would score from the right side :59 later and Zach Ryan would score with :03.4 left in the period.
The Orioles would extend their run to eight in the fourth period with two more goals as Lochan picked up goal number six :17 into the period. Ryan would pick up his second goal :47 later. The Hawks would end the Orioles 8-0 run as David Lyon's long stick shot roared into the net. It looked like Chaksa would begin a comeback late in the period with three goals in a :54 window. Friedbauer would get the hat trick with a center slot goal, then Black took advantage of a St. Louis park turnover and scored :27 later. Lange would score from the left side :28 following Friedbauer but that would be all Chaska could do.
St. Louis Park won their third straight game to improve their record to 4-4. They will wrap up their home season on Friday, May 12 hosting the Breck Mustangs at 7 PM. Chaska lost their seventh straight game and fell to 1-7. They will also be in action on the 12th, hosting the Simley Spartans at 7 PM.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Eight Straight Wins For Hutchinson Tigers
Monday night was a big night for The Seifert Sisters as Lex scored six goals and Maddy added three to lead the Hutchinson Tigers to a 16-8 win over the host St. Louis Park Orioles.
It was the eighth straight win for the Tigers, who have not lost a game since they fell to the Orono Spartans 9-6 in the season opener on April 17.
Maddy Seifert struck early for Hutchinson, scoring from the right side :14 into the game. St. Louis Park tied the game at one when Talia Simonett scored on a free shot. The Tigers quickly regained the lead as Ellie Larson centered Olivia Hanson and she scored from the left side. Hanson would score her second goal from the center slot and the Orioles cut the lead to one as Anna Roethler raced down the field like traffic on Minnetonka Blvd., cut through a pair of Hutchinson defenders and scored. Lex Seifert would score the next two goals to put the Tigers ahead by three. Roethler would score her second goal just like her first, going through two Hutchinson defenders and found an opening on the left side of freshman goalie Laina Berthiaume that enabled her to put the ball in the net. Lex Seifert would set up the next Tiger goal as she passed to Larson and she would score. Simonett would pick up her second goal with 3:10 left in the half and Hutchinson would lead 6-4 at halftime.
There would be good news for the Orioles in the second half when Roethler would pick up the hat trick 1:03 into the half. It would be the only bright spot for St. Louis Park since Hutchinson would send the fans home happy down Highway 7 with five unanswered goals. Larson would open the scoring for Hutchinson. Lex Seifert scored on a free shot then she centered the ball to Maddy Seifert for the next goal. Then it was Lex Seifert's turn to tally as she scored from the center slot. But it wasn't just the Seiferts that figured into the scorebook on this rainy Monday night. Ally Harlander fed Maddy Maday and she would score :25 later. The Orioles would end the Tigers run at five on Sarah McCalllon's goal. She would score her second goal after Larson picked up the hat trick for Hutchinson. Larson picked up her fourth goal on a free shot. Lex Seifert picked up her fifth goal with 3:05 left in the game.
There was plenty of scoring in the game's final minute. Maddy Seifert scored for the Tigers on an underhanded shot with :33.9 to go and Simonett got the hat trick off a pass from Roethler with :17.4 to play. The Seiferts wrapped up the scoring as Lex got a pass from Maddy and scored as the horn sounded to end the game.
Both teams return to action against the Chaska Hawks in Chaska. Hutchinson improved their record to 8-1 will play the Hawks on Thursday, May 11 at 7 PM. St. Louis Park falls to 2-4 and will make the trip down Highway 212 to Chaska on Tuesday, May 9, also a 7 PM start.
It was the eighth straight win for the Tigers, who have not lost a game since they fell to the Orono Spartans 9-6 in the season opener on April 17.
Maddy Seifert struck early for Hutchinson, scoring from the right side :14 into the game. St. Louis Park tied the game at one when Talia Simonett scored on a free shot. The Tigers quickly regained the lead as Ellie Larson centered Olivia Hanson and she scored from the left side. Hanson would score her second goal from the center slot and the Orioles cut the lead to one as Anna Roethler raced down the field like traffic on Minnetonka Blvd., cut through a pair of Hutchinson defenders and scored. Lex Seifert would score the next two goals to put the Tigers ahead by three. Roethler would score her second goal just like her first, going through two Hutchinson defenders and found an opening on the left side of freshman goalie Laina Berthiaume that enabled her to put the ball in the net. Lex Seifert would set up the next Tiger goal as she passed to Larson and she would score. Simonett would pick up her second goal with 3:10 left in the half and Hutchinson would lead 6-4 at halftime.
There would be good news for the Orioles in the second half when Roethler would pick up the hat trick 1:03 into the half. It would be the only bright spot for St. Louis Park since Hutchinson would send the fans home happy down Highway 7 with five unanswered goals. Larson would open the scoring for Hutchinson. Lex Seifert scored on a free shot then she centered the ball to Maddy Seifert for the next goal. Then it was Lex Seifert's turn to tally as she scored from the center slot. But it wasn't just the Seiferts that figured into the scorebook on this rainy Monday night. Ally Harlander fed Maddy Maday and she would score :25 later. The Orioles would end the Tigers run at five on Sarah McCalllon's goal. She would score her second goal after Larson picked up the hat trick for Hutchinson. Larson picked up her fourth goal on a free shot. Lex Seifert picked up her fifth goal with 3:05 left in the game.
There was plenty of scoring in the game's final minute. Maddy Seifert scored for the Tigers on an underhanded shot with :33.9 to go and Simonett got the hat trick off a pass from Roethler with :17.4 to play. The Seiferts wrapped up the scoring as Lex got a pass from Maddy and scored as the horn sounded to end the game.
Both teams return to action against the Chaska Hawks in Chaska. Hutchinson improved their record to 8-1 will play the Hawks on Thursday, May 11 at 7 PM. St. Louis Park falls to 2-4 and will make the trip down Highway 212 to Chaska on Tuesday, May 9, also a 7 PM start.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
SLP Orioles Beat Hopkins Royals
Two former Classic Lake Conference rivals, the Hopkins Royals and the host St. Louis Park Orioles battled for The Helmet Saturday afternoon and the Orioles got hat tricks from Jackson Lochan and Brody Ilstrup to lead them to a 12-3.
It was St. Louis Park's first win over Hopkins since 2009 when Boys Lacrosse was a club sport. The Helmet is a traveling trophy with a lacrosse helmet painted half orange and half blue.
The Orioles scored four unanswered goals in the first period. Ilstrup would score the first two goals. His first came off a right side pass from Mitchell Vortherms and the second came off a pass from Kyle Hedblom. Lochan would score the next two goals. Ilstrup's pass help set up his first goal and Lochan would wrap up the first period scoring with :24.3 left in the period.
St. Louis Park would strike twice in the second period. Hedblom would be involved with both goals. He would score the first goal from the right side and would pick up an assist on Vortherms line drive shot that entered the net. But play came to a halt with 3:46 left in the first half with 3:46 left when Lochan made a hard check that sent Cole Kinney-Leonhardt to the turf and he went unconscious. St. Louis Park police and fire departments were summoned to the stadium as well as an ambulance and the game was delayed for about 30 minutes as Kinney-Leonhardt attempted to regain consciousness. He eventually was able to get up and was helped off the field by the paramedic who escorted him to the ambulance. He was taken to the hospital for testing and no word on his condition was mentioned.
Following a two minute halftime, it was back to lacrosse as Dante Nord got the Orioles started :37 into the third quarter with a center slot goal. Nick Ghose would put Hopkins on the scoreboard as he also scored from the center slot. Lochan would get the hat trick as he cut through several Royal defenders and scored. Zach Ryan wrapped up the third period scoring, circling around the right side of the net and found an opening to put the ball in.
In the fourth period, Ilstrup opened the scoring for St. Louis Park as he went through two Hopkins defenders and picked up the hat trick. With the Orioles up by nine, head coach Chris Bixby gave the reserves some playing time and one player who would factor into the scoring was freshman Leo Benson, who scored two goals in a 1:10 span. All the Roayls could do was a late goal from Jackson James with :36.8 left in the game.
St. Louis Park improves their record to 3-4 and hosts the Chaska Hawks on Tuesday, May 9 at 7 PM. Hopkins fell to 0-8 and will also be in action on the ninth as they host the Eden Prairie Eagles at 7 :30 PM. In eight games, the Royals have been outscored 131-18
It was St. Louis Park's first win over Hopkins since 2009 when Boys Lacrosse was a club sport. The Helmet is a traveling trophy with a lacrosse helmet painted half orange and half blue.
The Orioles scored four unanswered goals in the first period. Ilstrup would score the first two goals. His first came off a right side pass from Mitchell Vortherms and the second came off a pass from Kyle Hedblom. Lochan would score the next two goals. Ilstrup's pass help set up his first goal and Lochan would wrap up the first period scoring with :24.3 left in the period.
St. Louis Park would strike twice in the second period. Hedblom would be involved with both goals. He would score the first goal from the right side and would pick up an assist on Vortherms line drive shot that entered the net. But play came to a halt with 3:46 left in the first half with 3:46 left when Lochan made a hard check that sent Cole Kinney-Leonhardt to the turf and he went unconscious. St. Louis Park police and fire departments were summoned to the stadium as well as an ambulance and the game was delayed for about 30 minutes as Kinney-Leonhardt attempted to regain consciousness. He eventually was able to get up and was helped off the field by the paramedic who escorted him to the ambulance. He was taken to the hospital for testing and no word on his condition was mentioned.
Following a two minute halftime, it was back to lacrosse as Dante Nord got the Orioles started :37 into the third quarter with a center slot goal. Nick Ghose would put Hopkins on the scoreboard as he also scored from the center slot. Lochan would get the hat trick as he cut through several Royal defenders and scored. Zach Ryan wrapped up the third period scoring, circling around the right side of the net and found an opening to put the ball in.
In the fourth period, Ilstrup opened the scoring for St. Louis Park as he went through two Hopkins defenders and picked up the hat trick. With the Orioles up by nine, head coach Chris Bixby gave the reserves some playing time and one player who would factor into the scoring was freshman Leo Benson, who scored two goals in a 1:10 span. All the Roayls could do was a late goal from Jackson James with :36.8 left in the game.
St. Louis Park improves their record to 3-4 and hosts the Chaska Hawks on Tuesday, May 9 at 7 PM. Hopkins fell to 0-8 and will also be in action on the ninth as they host the Eden Prairie Eagles at 7 :30 PM. In eight games, the Royals have been outscored 131-18
Thursday, May 4, 2017
SLP Orioles Clobber Cooper Hawks
After starting the season 0-3, the St. Louis Park Orioles have finally put things together as SJ, Anna Roethler and Talia Simonett scored hat tricks to lead the host Orioles to a 14-1 rout of the Cooper Hawks Thursday night.
The Orioles got out of the chute early after an inside foul on the Hawks awarded a free shot to Sarah McCallon and the freshman scored :50 into the game. Roethler would put the Orioles up by two with a center slot goal and the scoring barrage had just begun for St. Louis Park as they would score nine more unanswered goals that would include two more from Roethler. Also striking twice were SJ, who also picked up two assists. Simonette would also add a pair of goals and she picked up an assist on the next goal when she made a centering pass to SJ that resulted in a goal. McCallon would score her second goal off a pass from Rose Colacino and Dania El Ghandour would also tally. But there would be no shut out for the Orioles as Samarah Ballard would score with 3:18 left in the first half and the Orioles took an 11-1 halftime lead.
With a ten goal lead entering the second half, the remainder of the game was played in running time. The Orioles moved the ball around, taking time off the clock and also put the ball in the net three times. Simonett would open the scoring and made some really good passes to set up the last two goals. The first was to Grace Lynch and the final goal was scored by Anna Nicholls.
The Orioles improved their record to 2-3 and host the Hutchinson Tigers on Monday, May 8 at 7 PM. The game was rescheduled from April 27 due to the frigid weather in the St. Louis Park area. In their last two games, St. Louis park has outscored their opponents 32-6. The Hawks fell to 0-4 and host the Hermantown/Proctor Stealth on Friday, May 5 at 7 PM.
The Orioles got out of the chute early after an inside foul on the Hawks awarded a free shot to Sarah McCallon and the freshman scored :50 into the game. Roethler would put the Orioles up by two with a center slot goal and the scoring barrage had just begun for St. Louis Park as they would score nine more unanswered goals that would include two more from Roethler. Also striking twice were SJ, who also picked up two assists. Simonette would also add a pair of goals and she picked up an assist on the next goal when she made a centering pass to SJ that resulted in a goal. McCallon would score her second goal off a pass from Rose Colacino and Dania El Ghandour would also tally. But there would be no shut out for the Orioles as Samarah Ballard would score with 3:18 left in the first half and the Orioles took an 11-1 halftime lead.
With a ten goal lead entering the second half, the remainder of the game was played in running time. The Orioles moved the ball around, taking time off the clock and also put the ball in the net three times. Simonett would open the scoring and made some really good passes to set up the last two goals. The first was to Grace Lynch and the final goal was scored by Anna Nicholls.
The Orioles improved their record to 2-3 and host the Hutchinson Tigers on Monday, May 8 at 7 PM. The game was rescheduled from April 27 due to the frigid weather in the St. Louis Park area. In their last two games, St. Louis park has outscored their opponents 32-6. The Hawks fell to 0-4 and host the Hermantown/Proctor Stealth on Friday, May 5 at 7 PM.
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