It’s a start – some spring games go off as scheduled

Lakeville South wins pitchers’ dual against Rosemount

Typically, early season high school baseball games go one of two ways. Sometimes the scoreboard is filled with crooked numbers because of a blizzard of walks and errors as teams try to knock off the rust.

The other possibility is a low-scoring game as hitters try to catch up to the pitchers. That’s what was on display Monday as Lakeville South defeated Rosemount 2-0 in a game between the two South Suburban Conference schools that qualified for the 2023 state Class 4A tournament. It was the season opener for both teams.

While other SSC schools chose to postpone their Monday games because of chilly weather and wet fields, Craig Kusick Field at Rosemount High was good to go. It turned out to be a showcase for starting pitchers Carson Walker (Lakeville South) and Tyler Japel (Rosemount).

Walker allowed six walks but didn’t allow any of those to come back to hurt him. He held Rosemount to two hits and struck out six through 6 2/3 before coming out because he reached his pitch limit. Carson O’Connor struck out the final Rosemount batter to earn a save.

The Irish’s Japel allowed one run and five hits through six innings and struck out three.

Lakeville South took the lead in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Leo English that scored Gaven Dean from third base. Dean led off the inning by reaching on an error, then advanced to third on Trevor Rother’s double.

The Cougars got their other run in the seventh when a dropped third strike allowed Kash Bodden to score from third base.

South catcher Coltin Smith was 2-for-4 with a run batted in. Outfielders Will Peroutka and Connor Cote had Rosemount’s hits.

More baseball

• Burnsville is 2-0 after defeating Shakopee 5-2 in a South Suburban Conference game Tuesday. The Blaze opened their season last week, winning 11-1 at Rochester John Marshall on April 5.

The Blaze scored twice in the first inning at Shakopee. Lucas Dam got a leadoff walk, and Jacob Neutz’s one-out double put runners at second and third. A sacrifice fly by A.J. Galvin brought in the first run and Darren Einberger’s single made it 2-0.

Einberger also had an RBI single in the third inning as Burnsville stretched its lead to 3-0. He finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Neutz also had two hits.

Starting pitcher Nicholas Discher held Shakopee to two runs and two hits through six innings while striking out nine. Collin Heckman retired the side in order in the seventh.

Luke McHugh was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored in Burnsville’s victory at Rochester John Marshall. Neutz was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs – and was the winning pitcher.

• Apple Valley sophomore pitcher Ryan Christiansen struck out 11 batters in five innings in the Eagles’ season opener Monday, but Prior Lake was able to do some damage after he left the mound and won 4-2.

Christiansen held Prior Lake to three hits and one run in a 92-pitch outing. The Lakers scored two runs in the sixth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie, and added one in the seventh.

Miles Jensen had an RBI double in the first inning to tie the game. Benjamin Jackson singled in a run in the sixth for the Eagles.

• Two-run singles in the third inning by seniors Nick Brandt and Isaiah Jones sparked Eastview to a 6-3 victory at Eagan on Tuesday. The Lightning are 1-1 overall, including a 7-4 non-conference loss to East Ridge last week.

Starting pitcher Cooper DeSutter settled down after allowing three runs (one earned) in the first two innings. He left after six innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight. He threw 98 pitches.

Softball

An eagerly awaited Opening Day matchup between defending state Class 4A champion Rosemount and 2023 state tourney qualifier Farmington had to be put off twice because the field at Farmington wasn’t quite ready. Originally scheduled for Monday afternoon, it was pushed back to Tuesday, then postponed again to Thursday. Rosemount was third in the state Class 4A preseason rankings, with Farmington sixth.

Eighth-ranked Lakeville South opened its season with a 5-1 victory at Apple Valley on Tuesday afternoon. Cougars pitcher Madeline Nutter allowed four hits and struck out 12. The Cougars were held to five hits, but extended their lead in a two-run fifth inning when Kaylee Hafermann singled in a run and later scored on a wild pitch. Nutter, Trinity Jensen and Mackenzie Headding also had RBIs for South.

Ginny Gores homered in the fourth inning for Apple Valley’s run. Aliyah Passmore was 2-for-3 for the Eagles.

Lakeville North scored seven runs in the sixth inning of its 11-1 victory at Eastview on Tuesday. Eight of the Panthers’ first nine batters reached base in the sixth. Alicia Jeanson had a two-run single during the big inning and Abby Straub had an RBI double. Winning pitcher Nora Brandt allowed one run on six hits and struck out four.

Emily Braaten had two of the Lightning’s six hits and Hannah Soderbeck drove in their run.