There is no better feeling than playing in front of the home crowd. For Maple Grove baseball, they can enjoy that advantage at two locations. After Gleason Fields was finished last summer, the Crimson have played five home games there this season. They are 4-1 in those games. They are also 2-0 at Crimson Field.
As of Monday, Maple Grove is 7-7. Six of those wins have come when the Crimson bat second. They are 2-2 over their last four games, including their first home loss of the year to Blaine on May 9.
On May 6, Maple Grove fell 3-2 to Wayzata on the road. Maple Grove started and ended the game by scoring a run but a three-run fourth inning was all the Trojans needed to hold off the Crimson.
Nathan Schmidt saw one pitch in the first inning and that was all he needed to take a trip around the bases. Vann Olson scored on a passed ball during the top of the seventh. That brought Schmist to the plate and after his first-inning homer, he was intentionally walked.
Kellen Riskedahl grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and Wayzata escaped with a 3-2 win. Schmidt finished 1-for-2 with two walks and a home run. Kaden Harney, Beckett Shimpa Dylan Vokal and Olson (2-for-3) were the only other Crimson batters to record a hit. Evan O’Dwyer (L) allowed three unearned runs thanks to two Maple Grove errors.
Maple Grove bounced back with a 12-4 win over Champlin Park a day later. Riskedahl was 1-for-2 with a three-run homer. Shimpa was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs. Schmidt, Harney and Brady Aubut drove in two runs each. Brody Berglin (W) allowed three runs in five innings with three strikeouts. Ian Schock and Harney both pitched one inning out of the bullpen.
Blaine shut out Maple Grove 3-0 on May 9 as Ethan Pettis tossed a no-hitter for the Bengals. Maple Grove batters were a combined 0-for-21 with three walks and 11 Ks. O’Dwyer and Connor Whilm drew one-out walks in the sixth but Pettis got out of the inning with a strikeout and a ground ball to second.
After a day off, Maple Grove took out their frustration on Mahtomedi to get back to .500. The Zephers scored five runs in the first but Maple Grove countered with four runs in the fourth and five in the fifth and won 9-6.
Gavin Kusterman was 2-for-3 with two doubles and four RBI. Riskedahl was 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI. Shimpa, Aubut and Harney all scored twice. O’Dwyer allowed five runs in four innings and Matthew Kuno (W) struck out two in three innings in relief.
Only two of the final six games are at home for Maple Grove (7-7, 4-5 NWSC). On May 14 (after press deadline) they had a road game against Coon Rapids (7-7, 5-6). On Thursday, May 16, the Crimson have a road game against Robbinsdale Armstrong (6-7, 4-6). On Friday, May 17, they host Osseo at Crimson Field (9-6, 7-3).
Next week is the final week of the regular season. On Monday, May 20, they play a road game against Eden Prairie (8-4). They host Mounds View (11-3) at Gleason Fields the next day. The regular season ends with a road game at Brainerd (3-11) on Thursday, May 23.
The 2024 Section 5-4A Baseball Tournament begins on Tuesday, May 28, and runs through Thursday, June 6.
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