Field dedication, Rockies win highlight West game

In a pre-game ceremony, the Hollandale Rockies were able to get the baseball field at Valley View Park named after their late manager James “Jake” Fitzsimmons.

Two and a half hours later they had their first win on the newly named field, a 5-2 shocker over the Dodgeville Knights.

A solid pitching performance by Tanler Ames who went seven strong and Ethan James who finished off the Knights in the last two helped the Rockies to the win.  Ames fanned five, walked three and spaced six hits.  

James struck out one, walked one and gave up three hits.

Both pitchers surrendered an unearned run.

Luke Kelly had a big day for the Rockies with two hits and three of their five runs scored.  He singled, advanced on wild pitches and scored on a hit by Kyle Thompson in the first.

Kelly had a one out single in the third then advanced and scored on wild pitches.

He scored again in the fifth when he reached on an error, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Jared Rear.

Rear also scored in the fifth on a wild pitch.

The Rockies finished it off with a run in the fifth. Veteran Scott Garthwaite walked, advanced on a sacrifice and an error and scored on Trey Gordon’s single to left.

Gordon and Kelly both were 2x5 and Rear went 2x3. Thompson had the seventh Rockies hit.

The Knights scored a run to tie the game at 1-1 in the third. Tanner Bockhop walked and scored on a single by Jordan Olson.

The Knights scored their final run in the eighth when Austin Larson doubled and scored on a double by Justin Baehler. That forced a pitching change and James came in to get out of the inning with runners on second and third.

Tarron Bockhop was 2x4 for the Knights while Grant Hying doubled and Grant Roh, Olson, Jakob Kastenholz and Jack Hellmann added singles.

Larson went five for the Knights. He struck out five, walked four and gave up five hits. The Rockies scored four off him, one earned.

Baehler worked the last three, fanning five, walking one and giving up a hit along with an unearned run.

The Knights finished the season as the fifth seed in the Western Section playoffs.  They open Saturday at Pine Bluff/Mount Horeb.