Spartans Split CLC Doubleheader With Cardinals

COLD SPRING — The ROCORI Spartans baseball team opened up a new week of the 2024 season by facing off against another Central Lakes Conference opposition, beginning a lengthy stretch of home game at the Cold Spring Baseball Park.

The Spartans welcomed the Willmar Cardinals to Cold Spring, ending the first doubleheader of the season by splitting the pair of conference contests.

In the first game, ROCORI took the game in walk-off fashion, coming away with a 4-3 victory to open the doubleheader. Tyler Prom drove home Riley Bauer in the bottom of the seven inning to secure the Game 1 win for the Spartans.

Prom ended the game with two hits and one RBI while Noah Olmscheid added two hits and one RBI of his own to lead ROCORI at the plate. Kaden Rausch went 1-for-1 with one RBI and Bauer tallied one hit with two runs scored.

Hunter Fuchs earned a complete-game win on the hill, pitching all seven innings while giving up five hits, three runs, one walk and striking out six for the Spartans.

In Game 2, Willmar used a late-game surge to bounce back and earn a split of the doubleheader with an 8-4 win over ROCORI.

Jace Griffen led the Spartans at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three RBI. Kaden Rausch added two hits and one run scored, while Jack Boos, Tyler Prom and Hunter Fuchs each recorded one hit a piece.

Jacob Stalboerger pitched the first five innings for ROCORI, giving up two hits and two earned runs while striking out three in a no-decision. Rausch pitched the final inning in relief, giving up two hits, two earned runs and one walk.

With the split of the doubleheader, the Spartans move to 3-3 overall on the season and 3-3 in CLC play. Next up for ROCORI is a conference showdown against Fergus Falls at 5 p.m. on April 25 at the Cold Spring Baseball Park.