Rockies outlast Bullets in Western contest

After a heart warming ceremony honoring longtime coach and athlete Jim Strommen complete with the naming the baseball diamond Jim Strommen field, the Blanchardville Bullets and Hollandale Rockies went onto game mode.

Nine innings later the Rockies came away with a 6-4 win in a key Western Section match-up.

The win featured a four run sixth and ended with a clutch pitching performance from former Barneveld ace Kasey Helgeson who just completed his high school career.  Helgeson went the final four innings with Ethan James (4 1/3) and Kyle Thompson (1/3) working ahead of him.

Helgeson struck out seven and gave up one hit.

Hollandale got hits from Thompson, Brant James and Reese Peterson in their four run sixth.  They added a run in the seventh when Gunner Gorgen was hit by a pitch and scored on an outfield error.

Peterson doubled and scored Hollandale’s first run in the third.

Trey Gordon was 2x5 and Peterson 2x4 to lead Hollandale. Luke Kelly, Jared Rear, Thompson, Brant James and Dakota James all had solo hits with Dakota’s a double.

The Bullets had eight hits, two by Kyle Kleppe who doubled and solo hits by Brooks Chandler, Gavin Johnson, Jameson Johnson, Colton Schraepfer, Elijah Knutson and Tyler McKeon

Drew Schliem was on the hill for the Bullets.

Chandler doubled and scored on a Kleppe single in the first.  Elijah Knutson doubled and scored on an error in the second.

Kleppe doubled and scored in the third.  Kleppe also scored the final run in the fifth on an rbi by Schraepfer.