LA CROSSE — The Holmen High School baseball team took sole possession of first place and clinched at least a share of the MVC championship with a 7-3 victory over Central at Copeland Park on Monday.
The Vikings (15-7, 9-2) have a one-game lead on second-place Aquinas with each team having one conference game left. Holmen hosts Central on Thursday, and the Blugolds host Tomah on Thursday after losing to the Timberwolves on Monday.
The Vikings had a four-run fourth inning for a 5-0 lead and answered three fifth-inning Central runs in the fifth with two more runs in the sixth.
Right fielder and North Dakota State commit Joe Meeter singled twice and had two stolen bases for Holmen, which had 11 hits.
Second baseman Nolan Lomas was 2 for 4 with a double and drove in two runs, and shortstop Nolan Mashak went 2 for 3 and drove in two runs.
Designated hitter Jason Bramwell also was 2 for 3 with a double for the Vikings, who have won 11 of their past 13 games and bounced back from two nonconference losses on Saturday.
Alex Goryl was the winning pitcher and finished with six strikeouts and three earned runs allowed on two walks and five hits over six innings.
Logan 8, Sparta 1
LA CROSSE — The Rangers (13-9, 3-8) set the tone with six runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Keegan Anderson pitched a four-hitter and had three strikeouts and three walks.
First baseman Jesse Lycke hit a home run, doubled and finished 2 for 2 with three runs driven in and two scored.
Second baseman Jackson Bosch doubled and scored twice, and shortstop Hank Bosch drove in two runs for the Rangers.
Hank Bosch had a two-run single and Lycke a two-run homer in the first.
West Salem 5, Arcadia 0
WEST SALEM — The Panthers (7-11, 6-5 Coulee) scored twice in the fourth inning and three times in the fifth for Will Schmidt and Terryn Boland in their combined two-hitter.
Schmidt struck out five, walked three and allowed both hits in five innings, and Boland struck out three and walked one in his two innings.
Luke Grube hit a three-run homer in the fifth, and second baseman Aidan Hillyer hit a run-scoring single in the fourth.
Tomah 10, Aquinas 6
TOMAH — The Timberwolves too the lead at 7-6 with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, then added three more runs in the sixth to beat the Blugolds (12-5, 8-3 MVC).
First baseman Landon Teachout was 2 for 4 with a double and two stolen bases, and third baseman Aedan David singled, scored twice and drove in three runs.
Waylon Hargrove stole two bases and doubled, Parks Tobin doubled, and Marcus Klar stole two bases for Aquinas.
Chippewa Falls 7, Onalaska 1
CHIPPEWA FALLS — The Hilltoppers (9-9) gave up five runs in the bottom of the third and couldn’t get back into the game.
Five players singled once each for Onalaska, and right fielder Carson Zinnecker singled and stole one base.
G-E-T 13, Luther 1 (5)
ONALASKA — The Red Hawks scored seven runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back in a win over the Knights (3-14).
Luther was held to four hits, and catcher Michael Johnson had a double for the only extra-base hit.
Whitehall 4, Melrose-Mindoro 1
WHITEHALL — The Mustangs (12-4) were held to one hit and allowed the Norse three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Shortstop/pitcher Colton Koss had the lone hit — a double to center field that led off the game.
