Like the Schoolhouse Rock song My Hero Zero, freshman Kristofer Hokenson was a hero to Orioles fans Wednesday night as he pitched a no hitter and struck out seven batters to lead St. Louis Park to a 10-0 win over the Cooper Hawks at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.
The game was shortened to six innings due to the 10 run rule.
Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings until the Orioles broke through with four runs in the bottom of the third. The first four hitters reached base until Sam Hunt flied out to the Hawks first baseman Sam Thornton. Then the offensive fireworks erupted on Luke Boyum's two RBI single that scored Jackson McClain and Jack Wandmacher. Boyum and Aaron Ellingson accounted for two more runs on Aaron Sledge's double.
As Hokenson breezed through the Cooper lineup like traffic heading down Minnetonka Blvd., he would allow only two base runner the entire game. The first would be Dillon O'Halloran on an error by Wandmacher and the second would be on a two out walk to Sherrod Russell. Russell advanced to second on a wild pitch, and it would be the first and only Hawk runner in scoring position. But Hokenson struck out Cooper pitcher Brenden Faulkner to end a potential threat.
St. Louis Park would tally twice in the bottom of the fifth inning as Sledge drew a bases loaded walk to score Ellingson and Drew Boyum's sacrifice fly drove home Hunt to increase the margin to six.
Hokenson would retire the Cooper side in order in the top of the sixth inning and in the bottom, the Orioles would put the icing on Hokenson's no hit bid with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Wandmacher got his third hit of the evening with an RBI single that scored McClain and the Oriole lead off hitter would cross the plate on a RBI single from Hunt. Luke Boyum would have a grand day at the plate going 3 for 4 and picking up 4 RBIs, the late two coming on a single that drove home Ellingson and Hunt to begin the celebration.
St. Louis Park head coach Brian Kelly gave his description of Hokenson's no-hitter.
"We're super proud and we knew we had it in him."
The Orioles improved their record to 6-4 and continue their homestand on Friday, May 3 with a 6 PM game against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at Derrick Keller Field. The Hawks fell to 0-7 and will also be in action on the 3rd, hosting the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 4:30 PM.
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