Red Knights baseball stays on track with 9-0 start

Park closes week on 2-1 run

Benilde-St. Margaret’s kept its perfect record in check last week improving to a 9-0 start to the season ahead of what was supposed to be Monday’s meeting at Metro West Conference leader Chaska.

That game was pushed back to due recent rainfall with yet another crowded five-game schedule this week. BSM travels to Waconia and Chanhassen on May 7 and 9, respectively before turning home Friday to face Monticello before a visit to ISG Field in Mankato to take on Mankato West at noon on Saturday.

The Red Knights are four games into a season-long six-game road trip following Saturday’s 6-5 win at Red Wing.

Red Wing opened the scoring with a pair of loaded-bases walks to take a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

BSM responded in the middle innings scoring all six runs between the second and fifth innings before holding off a late rally by the Wingers.

A Jack Anderson double brought in Robert Shull and Caleb Koskie in the third inning before a double play ended the third-inning rally.

Next inning BSM put together four consecutive hits including doubles from Charlie Gearen and Shull to build a 5-2 lead. Once again, Red Wing turned a double play to get out of the inning.

Gearen would end up scoring the winning run in the next inning, coming home on a wild pitch with two outs. With two outs, BSM worked the court for what would be three walks and a single to take a 6-2 lead.

The Wingers responded with three runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning on a two-out error in the field to extend the inning and a two-run double to left field.

BSM used five different pitchers with Dylan Fahey earning the winning in 2 2/3 innings of relief of starter Connor Armand who allowed five walks over 1 1/3 innings. Abu Kalokoh retired the side in order in the sixth inning before Gearen earned the save in the seventh inning by striking out the side. He issued one walk and one hit.

The one-run win was the fourth game to be decided by two runs or fewer.

Thursday’s 14-1 win over Orono was the fifth time the Red Knights hit double digits in runs through the first four weeks of the season.

Caleb Koskie and Gearen each had two hits while Anderson went 3-for-3, driving in four runs and scoring three times. Anderson and Koskie each had a home run and Anderson smacked one of four doubles by BSM.

Ford Stoen earned the win on the mound going three innings allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out five batters. Fahey and Koskie each fanned two batters in one inning of relief work.

Park wins a pair

St. Louis Park won consecutive games for the second time this season with an 11-1 win over Minneapolis Southwest on May 1 before handing Bloomington Jefferson a 9-5 Metro West Conference defeat on Friday in Bloomington.

The Orioles came up short against neighbor Hopkins 4-2 on Saturday.

Park opened May with a six-run third inning against Southwest before adding a pair of runs in the fourth inning and three more insurance runs in the sixth inning for a season-high 11 runs.

Alex Hokenson led the way going 3-for-4 scoring twice while Ryan Moran blasted the lone home run for one of two hits driving in five runs. Moran also stole two bases while partnering with Graham Sullivan at the bottom of the order. Sullivan also went 2-for-3 and stole one base.

Nine different Orioles picked up at least one hit in support of pitcher Miles Jungroth who struck out seven batters over six innings. The Park pitcher earned the complete game allowing one run on one hit with four walks.

The Orioles were scheduled to host Chaska on Tuesday, Wayzata on Wednesday, and Orono on Thursday before traveling to Chaska’s Athletic Park for the second meeting of the week with the conference leader on Friday with a 7 p.m. start.

The Orioles will look for revenge against BSM as the Red Knights won the first meeting of the season 8-7 on April 23 when the two teams meet at Dakota Park on Monday, May 13 at 6 p.m.

Follow Jason Olson on Twitter @Jason0lson or @SunSportsJason.