Thanks to a quality start by senior Brendan Rooney, and just eleven pitches in the seventh inning from sophomore Joe Melles, the boys varsity baseball team defeated conference rival St. Louis Park in a very competitive game. After back-to-back losses against Wayzata and St. Francis, the Red Knights ended their losing streak after winning 3-2 on Wednesday May 5.
Senior pitcher Brendan Rooney worked hard for six innings, throwing only 60 pitches and allowing just three men on base through the first five innings. Sophomore Joe Melles pitched a flawless seventh inning, and the Orioles’ seven-game winning streak came to an end.
In the fourth inning, the Red Knights took their 2-0 lead after an RBI single by senior infielder John Kernan. Kernan’s hit, which was misplayed by the Orioles’ leftfielder, plated senior captain Bo Selleck and junior Kyle McCarthy.
Kernan, hitting .345 after the St. Louis Park game, is halfway towards achieving his goal. “[I want to] hit above .330 overall this season and have a fielding percentage of over 90%,” said Kernan.
In the sixth inning, Rooney gave up a leadoff double to St. Louis Park pitcher Greg Hynes, then got two batters out before compiling three walks and surrendering a base hit, which allowed the Orioles to tie the game and load the bases. Rooney then got out of the jam after a ground out.
In the bottom of sixth inning, Rooney was walked and replaced with pinch runner sophomore Jimmy Heck. Kernan reached the base on a sacrifice bunt thrown away at first, and senior John Duda followed with a walk. After a strikeout, Melles was walked and Heck came in with the winning run.
The team’s record moved to 7-4 after a great team performance. “It was a big win, we needed that one,” said Kernan. “[We] played great defense and had a strong performance out of Rooney.”
The Red Knights also played in the Louisville Slugger Tournament in Apple Valley on Saturday May 8, improving their record to 9-4 and claiming a second consecutive Tournament title. Their next game is at 4:15 p.m. on Monday May 10 at Fridley.
