Baseball: Bats come alive as Irish end 9-game skid

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The Rosemount baseball team needed a win.

The Irish had lost nine straight games after a 5-0 loss against Burnsville last week. Their last win was April 25.

So, when Rosemount had the chance to get back on the winning track last week they didn’t want to stop. The Irish offense has struggled at times this year, but when they finally started scoring last week against Lakeville South, they tried to keep it going as long as possible.

Rosemount snapped its losing streak with a 13-2 win against Lakeville South. It was the highest scoring output of the season. The previous high was eight runs in a loss at Bloomington Kennedy at the beginning of May.

The Irish kept the offense going into the next game, but ended the regular season with an 11-8 loss against Eagan on Monday. Rosemount finished the regular season with a 4-15 overall record and was 3-14 in the South Suburban Conference.

But finally the Irish bats have awoken.

Rosemount scored four runs in the first inning against Lakeville South, and then added two in the second, six in the third and another in the fourth.

Lucas Haase was 3 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored. Jon Bishop had three hits and five RBIs.

Trevor Kolden, Andrew Nelson, Andrew Schwartz and Matt Foley each had two hits. Schwartz and Bishop each doubled twice.

Kolden, Foley and Morris Valenzuela each scored two runs. Valenzuela had a double and two RBIs.

Nelson chipped in with three RBIs to support his performance on the mound. He pitched five innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, while striking out six.

Haase added two home runs against Eagan, finishing with three hits, three RBIs and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot.

Joe Waite, Bishop, Nelson, Valenzuela and Tony Prostrollo added hits in the eight-hit attack. Valenzuela had two RBIs and Bishop scored twice.

But the Irish have struggled in the first inning all season long and it was much of the same against Eagan. The Wildcats scored five times in the first.

Jordan Tumilson started and pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs. Nelson threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs and Prostrollo finished the game with 2/3 scoreless innings.

Rosemount opens the Class 3A, Section 3 tournament on Friday, but seeds were not announced before press time.

Tags: sports, rosemount, irish, prep, baseball