Johnson's Four Goals Lead SLP Orioles Into Section 5 Quarterfinals

 Emilia Johnson scored four goals and two other players recorded hat tricks as the host St. Louis Park Orioles beat the Osseo/Park Center Crocs Tuesday afternoon in the first round game of the Section 5 Girls Lacrosse Tournament.  

It was Johnson who began the scoring off a pass from Meg Ridgway.  Lilly Fandel Thompson would factor into the Orioles net two goals.  She would tally after she got the pass from Madeline Anklam and helped set up Margaux Pollock first goal to put St. Louis Park ahead by three.  They would go up by four on Johnson's second goal.  The Crocs would erase the zero from their end of the scoreboard when Presley Kraemer fed Lauren Rainerson on the left side of Oriole goalkeeper Carina Otos and she put Osseo/Park Center on the board.  Riley Ridgway would counter for St. Loui Park :20 later.  O/PC came back with a goal from Kramer.  Meg Ridgway and Emilia Johnson would round out the first half scoring for St. Louis Park and Rainerson would score her second goal with :32 left in the first half.  The Orioles led 7-3 at halftime.  

Meg Ridgway would pick up her second assist of the game as she passed to Kate Grimm and found the net :21 into the second half.  Over a minute later, Pollock picked up her second goal.  The Crocs would score their first goal of the half on a free shot from Maddie Ahlquist.  The Orioles countered on Alish Fitzpatrick's center slot goal.  Meg Ridgway scored from the right side for St. Louis Park and O/PC would get three unanswered goals, coming from Hayley Eikos, Ahlquist and Rainerson.  St. Louis Park would put the game away with Emilia Johnson picking up her hat trick on a free shot followed by a free shot from O/PC's Ahlquist.  Then the Orioles would surge further ahead with a three goal burst in a span of  :35.  Grimm's outstanding passing would set up the first two goals that came from Pollock and Meg Ridgway that would give her the hat trick.  Fitzpatrick account for the third goal when her shot barely crossed the goal line.  The Crocs would get a hat trick from Rainerson on a pass from Ahlquist but St. Louis Park would score another three unanswered goals.  Pollock, Gretchen Fandel Thompson and Riley Ridgway would put the Orioles in Friday's quarterfinals.  O/PC wasn't finished yet as Kraemer scored on a free shot with :18 left.  

The Orioles improved their record to 8-5 and will face the Armstrong Falcons in the Section 5 quarterfinals on Friday June 3 in Plymouth at 7 PM.  The Crocs concluded their regular season with a 1-13 record.  

SLP Orioles Advance to Section Winners Bracket Final

 It was the bottom of the order that put the St. Louis Park Orioles on top as the ninth batter Henry Odens hit a two run triple in the bottom of the third inning to lead them to a 4-1 win over the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers Saturday afternoon in the Section 6AAAA Baseball Tournament at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

Orioles starting pitcher Kristofer Hokenson breezed through the first three innings like traffic heading down Dakota Ave.  He struck out the first five batters and seven of the first nine.  He was supported by the St. Louis Park offense that scored three runs in the bottom of the second.  With one out, Graham Sullivan walked and Brady Walsh was hit by a pitch.  Odens came to the plate and drove both runners home with a two run triple.  He would also cross the plate on Ben Farley's RBI single.  

There would be no consecutive no-hitters for the Orioles as Hokenson faced the Lakers in the top of the fourth.  Andrew Fazio and Alex Barbatsis would hit consecutive singles but it would go for naught since Hokenson fanned Aidan Moran.  

Both teams would tally in the fifth.  Southwest got their run that started with Mason Olson's single and he advanced to third on Finn Joshi's base hit.  Joshi would get picked off at second base and Olson would steal home.  St. Louis Park would add another run when Odens got his third RBI of the game on a single that scored Walsh.  It would wrap up the scoring and the Orioles had a chance to widen their lead in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded.  Unfortunately, it didn't come since Andru Vela and Sullivan flied out to end the game.  

Hokenson, who will play next season at the University of Minnesota, pitched a complete game and strick out 13 batters.  

St. Louis Park won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 16-6.  They will play in the winners bracket final on Wednesday, June 1 against the Hopkins Royals at 4:30 PM.  Minneapolis Southwest had their 12 game winning streak come to an end and fell to 19-2.  The Lakers will face the Edina Hornets on Tuesday, May 31 at 4:30 PM, also at Hopkins High School.  

A No-No For Stefano

 Friday night was a big night for Stefano Giovannelli as he pitched a no-hitter, hit a bases clearing triple and struck out 11 batters to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 6-0 win over the Minneapolis South Tigers in the opening round of the Section 6AAAA Baseball Tournament at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

Neither team would tally in the game's first three innings though the Tigers leadoff hitter Gavin Jensen reached base on a throwing error by second baseman Henry Odens.  But first baseman Brady Walsh threw to shortstop Ben Farley covering second base and tagged out Jensen.  

Giovannelli would account for the Orioles first run in the bottom of the fourth and would score on a wild pitch.  

St. Louis Park would break the game open in the bottom of the fifth.  Walsh was hit by a pitch, Odens singled putting two runners aboard and Farley walked to load the bases.  Up to bat was Giovannelli and he hit a bases loaded triple to put the Orioles ahead by four.  

Farley would come through in the bottom of the sixth as he stroked a two run double to score courtesy runner Thomas Moot and Odens.  

The game headed into the top of the seventh.  Could Giovannelli enter the record book?  He got off to a rough start when Tariku Westru-Ostrum would reached base safely .  But it was ruled an error due to third baseman Andrew Vela bobbling the ball.  Giovannelli would give up a walk to Justin Benjamin with two outs.  Collin Davis, South's starting pitcher came to the plate and it looked like the Tigers would end any chance of a no-hitter.  He hit a long drive to left field and Stanley Regguinti playing near the left field fence hung on to the ball to end the game.  

Giovannelli commented on how he got out of the seventh inning jam following the game.  

"Staying comfortable and felling comfortable."  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 15-6 and will host the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers in the second round of the winners bracket Saturday, May 28 at 12 noon at Derrick Keller Field.  Minneapolis South fell to 13-6 and will play an elimination bracket game, also on the 28th against the Armstrong Falcons at 11 AM in Plymouth.  

Johnson Leads Way On SLP Orioles Senior Night

 Thursday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park Girls Lacrosse team and it was fitting for one of three seniors, Emilia Johnson as she scored five goals to lead the host Orioles to a 14-1 rout of the Waconia Wildcats.  

The Orioles would shut down the Wildcats in the first half with 10 unanswered goals.  Johnson would set the table early, scoring on a free shot :42 into the game.  Her second goal came when she went around the right side of the net and placed the ball in the goal.  Meg Ridgway would put the Orioles up by three.  Then Gretchen Fandel Thompson would be part of the next two St. Louis Park goals.  She cut into the inside slot and fired the ball into the net and set up her sister Lilly who accounted for goal number five.  Margaux Pollock would extend the streak to six.  Gretchen Fandel Thompson would score her second goal off a pass from Riley Ridgway and Johnson would get the hat trick :38 later.  Pollock would score her second goal as she went around the right side of the net and another senior, Erin Koslowski would wrap up the scoring with :49.2 left in the first half.  

In the second half, the unanswered goal streak would extend to 11 as Lilly Fandel Thompson fed Madeline Anklam and her shot reached the net.  There would be some good news for the purple and gold fans in attendance when Waconia ended the St. Louis Park run on Izabelle Keaveny's goal.  But that would be the only time the Wildcats would get the ball over the goal line.  The Orioles would account for the final three goals in a span of 3:34 that started with Lilly Fandel Thompson's second goal and Emilia Johnson, who will play next season at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia scored St. Louis Park's final two goals.  

The Orioles ended a three game losing streak to close out the regular season at 7-5.  The Wildcats lost their third straight game and fell to 1-11.  

SLP Oriole Bats Go Wild Against Chisago Lakes Wildcats

 The regular season wrapped up with a bang for the St. Louis Park Orioles as Ben Farley led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run that would help set the table for an 8-3 victory over the Chisago Lakes Wildcats Monday night at Derrick Keller field at Dakota Park.  

The Wildcats would open the scoring when Collin Hackl hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored leadoff hitter Nick Wasko.  It would be the only lead for Chisago Lakes heading into the bottom of the first since leadoff hitter Ben Farley sent the ball over the right field fence to tie the game.  Kristofer Hokenson reached base on an error, Stefano Giovannelli singled  and Zach Helfmann drove home Hokenson with an RBI double.  Giovannelli was thrown out at the plate by Wildcat left fielder Tyler Drury.  Following Andruw Vela's walk, Graham Sullivan would hit a two run triple and head home on Henry Odens' RBI single to give St. Louis Park a 5-1 lead.  

In the bottom of the second, the long ball paid off again for the Orioles.  Stanley Regguinti reached base on an error by Chisago Lakes right fielder Mitchell Torgerson and Hokenson would go deep for the third time this season with a two run homer.  

Giovannelli, St. Louis Park's starting pitcher would breeze through the Wildcat lineup, retiring the side in the second and third innings before being lifted for Brady Walsh in the top of the fourth.  Joe Graeve was hit by a pitch and Hackl doubled to put two runners aboard.  Then Reed Marquardt hit a sacrifice fly to right field and Graeve would cross home plate.  Hackl would score the second run when Jack Walker reached base on an error by Farley.  

Heading into the bottom of the fourth.  Zach Helfmann led off with a walk and Vela singled.  Helfmann would score on Walker's wild pitch and Vela would head home on a dropped fly ball by Torgerson that was hit by Tait Myers.  

Chisago Lakes had their scoring chances in the final two innings.  Cole Hentges, batting for Torgerson, drew a walk to load the bases but another pinch hitter, Caden Gibbs who batted for Luke Urhammer struck out.  The Wildcats would once again leave the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, Odens, who relieved Danny Montanez, walked Wasko, hit Drury and gave up a two out walk to Hackl.  Could Chisago Lakes bring home any runners?  The answer would be no when Odens got Marquardt out on strikes to end the game.  

St. Louis Park won their third straight game and ended the regular season with a record of 14-6.  They will host the opening round of the Section 6AAAA Tournament on Friday, May 27.  Time and opponent to be determined.  

Chisago Lakes fell to 7-10 and returns to action on Tuesday, May 24 at 4:30 as they host the North Branch Vikings.  

Successful Senior Night for SLP Orioles

 Wednesday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park Orioles and it turned out to be a success as the Orioles came back from a four run deficit to beat the Orono Spartans 10-6 at Derrick Keller field at Dakota Park.  

Both teams were scoreless through the first two innings.  The Spartans would break through with four runs in the top of the third, starting with Parker Lewin's RBI single that scored Brady McPherson.  Orono would tack on three more on a home run by Oliver Stevenson over the left field fence.  

The lead was short-lived for the Spartans as the Orioles sent ten batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth.  Stefano Giovannelli hit into a force play that scored Ben Farley and Giovannelli crossed the plate on a throwing error by Orono pitcher Marco Sipila.  As the old Metrodome scoreboard would say "Walks will haunt!"  And walks did haunt Sipila as he gave up three straight walks.  Brady Walsh, celebrating his 18th birthday, would make it happier with a bases clearing double to put St. Louis Park ahead 5-4.  

Once again, the Orioles would bat around in the bottom of the fifth and they would add three more runs to their ledger.  The first came on an RBI single from Giovannelli that scored Kristofer Hokenson.  Andruw Vela reached base on an error by Spartan second baseman Charlie Larson that scored Giovannelli and Vela came home on a wild pitch.

St. Louis Park would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth as they took advantage of Orono's erratic pitching.  Hokenson and Giovannelli tallied on wild pitches and walks continued to plague the Spartans.  Adding up the number of walks from Sipila and the two Orono relievers Jake Vanyo and Nash Tichy, the Spartans would walk a total of 11 batters.  

There would be a little bit of life for the Spartans in the top of the seventh that started with Larson being hit by a pitch and a two run homer from Sipila.  But there would be no comeback for Orono when Henry Odens, who relieved Brady Truitt struck out Stevenson and got Josh DeLange to fly out to the left fielder Stanley Regguinti to end the game.  

The Orioles improved their record to 11-7 and will head to Benilde-St. Margaret's on Friday, May 20 to face the Red Knights at 7 PM.  The Spartans fell to 5-7 and return to action on Tuesday, May 24 as the battle the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 7 PM at Dred Scott Field.  

Bloomington Kennedy Eagles Beat SLP Orioles

 Tuesday night was big for Susan Monson as she scored five goals to lead the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles to a 15-9 win over the host St. Louis Park Orioles.  

Early in the first half, the scoring went back and forth, starting with the Eagles Sarah Conzemius and the Orioles responded on Lilly Fandel Thompson's goal off a pass from Emelia Johnson.  Then it was Nora LeBlanc tallying for Kennedy and Meg Ridgway would tie the game for St. Louis Park.  The Orioles regained the lead on Lilly Fandel Thompson's second goal.  Emilia Johnson scored from the right side to put the Orioles ahead by two and Lilly Fandel Thompson got the hat trick to increase the margin to three.  

The lead wouldn't last for St. Louis Park as Kennedy would finish the first half with six unanswered goals.  Monson would score her first goal of the game, followed by Sohee Such, on an inside pass from Alexa Munoz Morales.  Monson would pick up her second goal 1:39 later.  The Eagles would close out the first half with three goals in a :57 span.  Such and LeBlanc picked up their second goals and Monson got the hat trick with :18.9 left in the half.  Kennedy led at halftime 8-5.  

In the second half, the Eagles picked up where they left off as LeBlanc got her hat trick :46 into the half.  Lo and behold for the Orioles, they would end the Eagles scoring streak at seven on Meg Ridgway's second goal.  Kennedy struck back on Kaysawn Carlson's goal and St. Louis Park would counter on Meg Ridgway's hat trick goal.  The Eagles would forge further ahead on goals from Kaysawn Carlson, LeBlanc and Conzemius.  St. Louis Park would end the run on Lilly Fandel Thompson's fourth goal with 1:17 left and Meg Ridgway would tally :10 later.  Kennedy wasn't done as Monson scored two more goals in the final minute.  

The future of the St. Louis Park girls lacrosse program was on display at halftime as the 8U team scrimmaged.  It was part of Youth Lacrosse Night.  

Kennedy improved their record to 7-4 and will travel to Long Lake on Tuesday, May 24 to face the Orono Spartans at 7 PM.  St. Louis Park fell to 6-4 and will also return to action on the 24th when they head to Bloomington to face the Jefferson Jaguars at 6 PM.  

Giovannelli's Mound Gem Leads SLP Orioles

 Monday night was a big night for Stefano Giovannelli.  He drove in two runs and struck out 13 batters to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Chanhassen Storm at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

The Storm took the early lead in the top of the third inning when Josh Costello hit a one out double, advanced to third base on Josh Kirchoff's single and came home on Josh Och's ground out to second base.  In the bottom of the inning, the Orioles would load the bases on Ben Farley's double, Stanley Regguinti's single and a walk to Andrew Vela.  Giovannelli came to the plate and lined a single to center field that scored Farley and Regguinti.  

St. Louis Park would double their third inning output with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Kristofer Hokenson lead off with a walk and Helfmann drove him home with an RBI single.  Helfmann would score on a wild pitch by Chanhassen relief pitcher Sam Marek.  

But the story of the game was Giovannelli.  He would hold the Storm to two hits, the last came on a single from Kirchoff in the third inning.  He would retire the next 12 batters before giving up a walk to Mason Windschitl in the top of the seventh.  Nothing would transpire for Chanhassen as Giovannelli would strike out pinch hitters Dean Kamann and Jake Ryan to end the game, finishing with 13 strikeouts.  

St. Louis Park won their fifth straight game and improved their record to 10-5.  They will host the Waconia Wildcats on Tuesday, May 17 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.  Chanhassen fell to 9-5 and will host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Wednesday, May 18 at 4:30 PM.  

SLP Orioles Stomp SPA Spartans

 The St. Louis Park offense was as hot as the weather at game time and heating up was Ryan Rasmussen, who scored four goals and assisted on four others to lead the host Orioles to a 18-3 drubbing of the St. Paul Academy Spartans Thursday afternoon.  

The Orioles put the game away in the first half with ten unanswered goals.  Lilly Fandel Thompson began the scoring 3:00 into the half, followed by two straight goals from Rasmussen.  Ailish Fitzpatrick would score on a free shot to put St. Louis Park ahead by four.  Emilia Johnson would also factor into the Orioles equation.  She made a nifty pass to Rasmussen and she would get the hat trick.  Johnson would tally twice with her second goal :27 after her first.  But it was more than Johnson and Rasmussen who found the net.  Margaux Pollock made an inside pass to Katie Grimm and St. Louis Park's lead extended to eight.  Erin Koslowski drove down the field like traffic on Lake St., cut into the center slot and fired the ball into the net.  Rasmussen would feed the ball to Madeline Anklam and she sent the ball across the goal line to increase the lead to ten.  But there would be a bright spot for Spartan fans as Mia Hofmann scored on a free shot with 1:20 left in the first half and the Orioles led 10-1 at the half.  

Heading into the second half, the Orioles added three goals to their ledger.  The first came on a center slot goal from Meg Ridgway.  Then Johnson got her hat trick off a pass from Rasmussen.  Rasmussen would pick up her fourth assist on Pollock's goal.  SPA would end St. Louis Park's run on Charlotte Going's goal.  With a lead of more than ten goals, there was running time and Riley Ridgway would keep it that way as she sent the ball to the net.  There was a little life for the Spartans when Hofmann scored her second free shot goal.   Since the game was decided early, Oriole head coach Kate Pearson sent in some junior varisty players.  One who would enter the scoring column was Ruby Viot.  Viot would center the ball to Rasmussen and she would score her fourth goal.  Anna McCallon circled the net and found an open spot to land the ball.  Grimm would conclude the scoring with :46 to play.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 6-2 and will host the Hopkins Royals Saturday, May 14 at 10:30 AM .  SPA fell to 2-3 and will also be in action on the 14th as they head to Apple Valley to face Eastview/Eagan at 2 PM.  

SLP Orioles Storm Past Cooper Hawks

 Before the thunderstorm hit the Twin Cities Wednesday night, there was baseball at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park where Graham Sullivan and Brady Truitt combined on a one hitter to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 13-0 shutout of the Cooper Hawks.

The game was shortened to five innings due to the ten run rule.  

The Orioles would score three times in the bottom of the first.  The first came on a double from Andruw Vela that scored Ben Farley. Following a walk to Stanley Regguinti, he and Vela would cross the plate when Stefano Giovannelli reached base on a fielding error by Hawks shortstop Charlie Evans.  

Walks and wild pitches would be Cooper's downfall throughout the game.  And it was true in the bottom of the second when Tait Myers scored on a wild pitch and Vela drove in his second run on a single that brought Farley home.  

St. Louis Park added three runs to their ledger in the bottom of the third.  Two would head home as Myers reached base on an error by cooper second baseman Sam Thomas and Myers accounted for the third on a wild pitch.  

The Orioles were close to sending the fans to shelter as the rain pelted St. Louis Park.  Hawks pitchers Cam Ruddy and Matt Gerding were wild and hit resulted in three hit batters and three walks as well as three runs. Two would come from Ben Farley's double.  

Truitt would seal the win for the Orioles in the top of the fifth when he struck out the side. 

St. Louis Park would improve their record to 7-5 and will play a doubleheader on Thursday, May 12 against the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 4:30 & 7 PM at Red Haddox Field.  Cooper lost their third straight game and fell to 2-9.  The Hawks have been outscored in their last three games 37-2.  They will also be in action on the 12th as they host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 4:30 PM.  

Big Sixth Inning Helps SLP Orioles End Three Game Losing Streak

 What could be a preview of the Section 6AAAA Tournament in late May took place Tuesday night as Kristofer Hokenson hit a three run homer to break a scoreless tie and Stefano Giovannelli pitched a four hit complete game to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 win over the Wayzata Trojans at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

It was a battle for the first three innings between Giovannelli and Wayzata's Noah Karschnik as neither team erased the zeros from the runs column on the scoreboard.  Giovannelli gave up three hits but he was supported by the strong Oriole defense.  As for the Trojans, Karschnik cruised through the St. Louis Park lineup like cars driving down Minnetonka Blvd.  He did not allow a base runner through three innings.  

There would be no perfect game when the Orioles came to the plate in the bottom of the fourth.  Ben Farley flied out to left field and Hokenson hit a one out double.  But Zach Helfmann was called out on strikes and Andruw Vela flied out to left field to keep the game scoreless.  

But there would be good news for St. Louis Park in the bottom of the sixth.  Henry Odens led off and was hit by a pitch and Farley singled to advance him to second base.  Then Hokenson sent a long drive that sailed over the right field fence for his second home run of the season and the Orioles took a three run lead.  The lead would increase to four when Helfmann drove the ball over the left field fence.  Following Stanley Regguinti's walk.  An errant throw to first by Wayzata relief pitcher Joey O'Brien advanced Regguinti to third.  Giovannelli came up and drove Regguinti home on an RBI single to put St. Louis Park ahead by five.  

The Trojans came to the plate in the top of the seventh but could get runners on base as Giovannelli retired the side in order to preserve the shutout.  

St. Louis Park ended a three game losing streak and improved their record to 6-5 they will host the Cooper Hawks on Wednesday, May 11 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.  Wayzata fell to 4-6 and will also be back in action on the 11th, hosting the Armstrong Falcons at 6:30 PM.  

50 Years Ago, ABC Had Another Game Show Hit With Split Second

 Because of the state basketball tournament preview in late March, HSGN is belated to mention that 50 years ago on March 20, the network debuted a new quiz show titled Split Second.  

Hosted by Tom Kennedy and produced by the team of Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall (who were also involved with the Hall hosted Let's Make a Deal), Split Second was a fast paced quiz show that featured three contestants.  The show's announcer was Jack Clark, his first game show since the network's short-lived prime time game show The Reel Game.  

Three answers were displayed on a board or answers to questions read by Kennedy.  The first player to ring in got to pick the first answer.  Whether the answer is right or wrong, the other two players get a chance to answer.  Unlike Jeopardy, it's not how fast you know the answer but how fast you ring in.  Correct answers in the first round paid $25 for only one right answer, $10 for two and if all three are right, $5 apiece.  In the second round, a contestant received $50 for the only right answer, $25 if two are correct and all three right answers won $10 apiece.  

The third round was known as The Countdown Round.  The money amounts on the contestant's readouts were replaced by the number of correct answers needed to win the game.  The first place contestant needed three answers to win, the second place contestant four and the third required five.  What differed from the first two rounds was, the player who rung in, got a chance to get up to all three answers right.  Over the show's three year run, there were few instances that the first contestant could win on the first question.  An incorrect answer allowed the other two to respond.  The first player to reach zero won the game.  Win or lose, each contestant kept the money they won.  

The winning contestant advance to the Bonus Round where five cars were displayed.  The contestant picked a car and if it starred, they won the car and retired as a champion.  If it didn't start, the champion returned for the next game and if they won, the number of cars would be reduced to four, giving a better chance to win a car.  A contestant who won five games, retired undefeated and won a car.  

Split Second enjoyed a three year run, airing following Password, which was moved up a half hour to noon and reruns of Bewitched were moved to 11:30 AM ET.  It solidified a hit game show lineup that included Let's Make a Deal, The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game.  

But in June 1975, Split Second was canceled due to declining ratings from its Password lead in and a revamping of ABC's midday lineup.  The show would return in syndication in December 1986 with Hall hosting and Sandy Hoyt as the announcer.  This version was taped in Hamilton, Ontario and suffered from low clearances as well as low ratings which resulted in its cancellation in 1987.  

Split Second was a success thanks to Kennedy's pacing and the format allowed the home viewer to play along.  It's a show that should be revived someday, given the right host and format execution.  Hopefully if it returns, it won't be gone in a split second.  

Rockford Rockets Roll Past SLP Orioles

 Saturday morning was Little League Day at Derrick Keller Field and the more than two dozen St. Louis Park little leaguers saw Nolan Perry hit a two run double in the top of the fourth inning and pitched well in relief to help lead the Rockford Rockets to a 7-5 over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

In the first two innings, both teams scored one run apiece.  In the top of the first, the Rockets run came on an RBI single that scored Alex Altmann and the Orioles capitalized on two Rockford errors and a walk to Kristofer Hokenson to load the bases.  Graham Sullivan stole second and Ben Farley would steal home.  The rockets run in the second came from Luke Pilot's RBI single that brought Aiden Smith home.  Smith hit a one out double.  St. Louis Park evened the score at two after Farley and Jacob Favour walked, followed by Hokenson's RBI single that accounted for Farley's second run.

Altmann would put the Rockets ahead in the top of the third on his RBI single that scored Perry, who reached base on an error by Farley.  

Sloppy fielding by St. Louis Park would add two runs to Rockford's ledger.  Smith reached base on an error by second baseman Henry Odens, Pilot walked and Logan Vicino reached base on Farley's error.  Perry came to bat and hit a two run double to bring home Smith and Pilot.  

The Orioles attempted to bounce back from a three run deficit in the bottom of the sixth as Favour hit a one out single and Hokenson, battling Perry who came in for Pilot in the bottom of the fourth made the most of a 10 pitch at bat with a base hit to advance Favour to third.  Zach Helfmann's sacrifice fly would score Favour and the margin was trimmed to 5-3.  

The Rockets would extend their lead to four in the top of the seventh on Max Hudlow's sacrifice fly that scored Nick Birrebose and Smith drove home Joey Cook with an RBI double.  

Could the Orioles send the youngsters home happy with a walk off win in the bottom of the seventh?  Andruw Vela walked and Tait Myers singled to put two runners on base.  Then Farley hit a long triple to left field to cut the lead to two.  Favour and Hokenson walked to load the bases and Helfmann had a chance to tie or win the game.  But Helfmann flied out to left field and that concluded the game.  

Both teams were plagued by leaving runners on base.  Rockford left nine runners stranded and St. Louis Park left 14, including two innings where the bases were loaded. 

The Rockets improved to 5-6 and host the Holy Family Catholic Fire on Monday, May 9 at 7:30 PM.  The Orioles lost their third straight game and fell to 5-5.  They will host the Wayzata Trojans on Tuesday, May 10 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.  The game was rescheduled from April 30 due to torrential rain in the St. Louis Park area.  

A Chaska Comeback

Wednesday night was Strikeout ALS Night at Derrick Keller Field and Henry Bushey's two RBI double in the top of the seventh inning led the Chaska Hawks to a 5-2 come from behind win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

The Orioles struck first in the bottom of the first when Stanley Regguinti reached base on an error by Hawks shortstop Henry Bushey and Ben Farley singled.  Zach Helfmann singled to score Regguinti to give St. Louis Park the early lead.  

Regguinti would account for St. Louis Park's second run in the bottom of the third as he crossed the plate on Kristofer Hokenson's RBI single and the lead increased to two.  

Things were looking good for Oriole starting pitcher Stefano Giovannelli, whose mother Lynn, battling ALS, was one of three women who threw out the first pitch prior to the start of the game.  He had a perfect game through four innings with no walks and four strikeouts.  But in the top of the fifth, the roof started to cave in on Giovannelli when Drew Benson singled and Hawks pitcher Maddox Foss reached base on Giovannelli's throwing error.  Benson would score on Bushey's sacrifice fly to cut the lead to one.  

Could St. Louis Park shut down the Chaska offense in the top of the seventh?  The answer would eventually be no since the first five batters hit safely.  Dayne McNaughton and Benson reached base on singles and McNaughton was forced out at third base on an excellent heads up play by Giovannelli.  But Bushey hit a two run double and came home on Thomas Hanson's RBI single.  The Orioles only managed to get one base runner on a one out single from Henry Odens but Hanson, pitching in relief of Foss, struck out Jacob Favour and pinch hitter Zach Johnson to end the game.  

Giovannelli would strike out seven batters in a losing effort.  

The Hawks improved their record to 7-2 and host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Friday, May 6 at 7 PM at Chaska Athletic Park.  The Orioles fell to 5-3 and travel to Waconia on the 6th to take on the Wildcats at 7 PM at the Waconia Lions Baseball Field.