Baseball: A short wait for the first ‘W’

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If new Rosemount baseball coach Chris Swansson could have designed how he wanted his team to start this season it likely wouldn’t have approached what the Irish were able to accomplish in real life.

Rosemount started Swansson’s tenure as coach with three wins in its first three games. It was an accomplishment built on solid pitching and a lot of hitting, a combination any coach would be proud of.

“I think the biggest thing for us is the more games we win, the more guys believe in what we are doing,” Swansson said. “They can believe in the process more if we’re winning while we’re going through it. It’s nice to have that credibility that comes with winning a couple of games with them. Sometimes it takes a little while.”

It didn’t take the Irish long at all.

Rosemount beat Woodbury 5-4 last week and followed a day later with a 21-7 victory at St. Paul Highland Park. On Monday, the Irish won the first Lake Conference game of the year 11-3 at Lakeville South.

“We’re excited with where we are at,” Swansson said. “We still feel we have a lot to work on, but we’re in a good spot right now. Overall, guys are working hard, paying attention to what we are doing, and it’s showing up on the field.”

Swansson understands tougher times might be ahead, but opening with a win in the Lake Conference is a good start.

With a 2-1 lead after three innings, the Irish scored five runs in the fourth and four in the fifth to pull away from Lakeville South.

Chris Couillard pitched five innings, allowing two runs and striking out four for the victory. He also went 3 for 4 with six RBI and a home run.

Brady Loew had three hits, including two doubles, and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot.

Chris Adams and Lucas Haase each had two hits as part of the 14-hit attack. Adams pitched the final two innings to get the save.

“We definitely know it will get tougher,” Swansson said. “When we see Lakeville South again, I anticipate a much closer game. They’re a good team and will win a lot of games this year.

“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves with anything. We know we’ll have a lot of tough games. Baseball is a humbling game. You can be humbled very quickly.”

For now, the Irish are riding a wave of confidence.

In the win at Highland Park, Rosemount scored is 21 runs on 16 hits.

Loew, Couillard, and Michael Robohm each had three hits. Couillard and Robohm each tallied four RBI. Adams, Paul Eppen, Joe Waite, Robohm and Kevin Rennich each scored three runs a piece.

Adam Bergstrom picked up the win in relief after the Irish scored eight runs in the sixth and seven in the seventh.

“Our guys are hitting the ball,” Swansson said. “We’ve had some things go our way there. They are playing good situational baseball, running the bases well.”

Couillard pitched 5 1/3 innings in a start against Woodbury and Robohm notched the win in relief. Rosemount scored two runs in the final at-bat to pull out the victory. Eppen had a hit and two RBI.

The Irish host Holy Angels today and play a road game at rival Eastview on Monday.

Tags: school district 196, high schools, sports, rosemount, irish, prep, baseball