PRINT ADS

Holmen High School's baseball tean has shown improved play in Mississippi Valley Conference games the last two weeks. That trend continued April 30 against Central, though it came to a crashing halt Monday in a doubleheader at defending league champion Logan.

Holmen led 1-0 through two innings against Central after a Trey Candahl RBI single, while also tying the game in the fourth on a Jay Merfeld's bases-clearing double. The game stayed tied until the sixth, until left-hander Shane Peterson appeared to run out of steam.

Peterson pitched through the second out of the sixth, but allowing 10 hits and nine runs, including five runs in the frame. Peterson showed a longer, but similar line, five days earlier against Onalaska. He allowed six runs, but just three earned runs, over the first seven innings that day, before allowing two walks, a hit batsmen and a grand slam.

Corey Jessessky had two of the Vikings eight hits. Peterson, Jarrod Bock, Dominic Lenz and Taylor Hauser also had knocks for HHS.

Jessessky relieved Peterson in the sixth and allowed a hit and walk against a striekout. Jeff Matt got the final out in the seventh. Holmen did not get the tying run to the plate in the seventh.

The Vikings managed just six hits in Monday's 11-1 and 9-0 doubleheader sweep at the hands of Logan. Merfeld singled and Lenz doubled to account for the lone HHS run, with Peterson recording Holmen's other game-one safety. Merfeld, Candahl and Peterson had Holmen's lone game-two hits.

Jordan Vaaler, after showing effectiveness in outings against Sparta and Aquinas over the previous 2 1/2 weeks, took the game-two loss, including allowing four 1st-inning tallies. Bock got a rare pitching appearance. Jessessky was able to stem the tide somewhat by allowing two runs over the final four innings.

Lenz took the game-one loss, including allowing six runs over the first three innings. Matt and Zach Mally also saw time in relief for the Vikings.