COLD SPRING -- It took extra innings to decide Tuesday night's playoff game between the Rocori Spartans and the Willmar Cardinals in the first round of the Section 5-3A playoffs. Willmar ended up coming back to top Rocori 8-7 in nine innings to take the opening playoff game at the Cold Spring Baseball Park. The Spartans exploded out of the gate, scoring seven unanswered runs to begin the game. Rocori scored once in the first inning and tallied three runs in each of the third

The Rocori Spartans baseball team learned Friday morning that they have received the No. 2 seed for the Section 5-3A playoffs, which begin next week. The Spartans (13-7 overall) will take on No. 7 seed Willmar (6-13) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 30 in Cold Spring in the first round of the Section 5-3A playoffs. The Cardinals handed the Spartans two losses in two matchups this season. Willmar won 4-0 on April 28 in Willmar and 4-1 on May 23 in Cold Spring. Thursday night's win over

MONTICELLO -- Eli Emerson and the Rocori Spartans baseball team cruised to a five-inning win over Monticello in the regular season finale Thursday night. Emerson pitched a one-hit shutout and Rocori's offense exploded for 10 runs on 13 hits en route to a 10-0 victory over fellow Section 5-3A opponent Monticello. In five innings on the mound, Emerson gave up one hit, no runs, walked none and struck out four. Rocori's offense helped give Emerson run support in nearly every inni

COLD SPRING -- The Rocori Spartans baseball team finished up their regular season home schedule with a win over Belle Plaine on Wednesday afternoon. The Spartans topped the Tigers 5-4 in a nonconference game at the Cold Spring Baseball Park. Rocori got off to a hot start in the game, scoring three runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. The Spartans then added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to carry a 5-0 lead late into the ballgame. But Belle Plaine battled

COLD SPRING -- The Rocori Spartans baseball team fell to Willmar in a Central Lakes Conference matchup on Tuesday. The Spartans lost to the Cardinals 4-1 at the Cold Spring Baseball Park. Rocori kicked off the scoring in the game, scoring once in the fourth inning. Willmar went on to score two runs in each the fifth and seventh innings en route to the win. Dylan Tebrake went 1-for-3 with one RBI to lead the Spartans. William Huls went 2-for-3 with one run scored and Brandon G

BIG LAKE -- The Rocori Spartans baseball team came back to top Big Lake on Friday night at Big Lake High School. Trailing by one late in the game, Rocori scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning to take down fellow Section 5-3A opponent Big Lake 4-3 in a nonconference game. With the win, the Spartans have now won won four straight and are winners in nine of their last 11 games. Nick Penick led the way for Rocori in the game, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. William Huls went

COLLEGEVILLE -- The Rocori baseball team continued to stay hot on Thursday night against St. Cloud Apollo. The Spartans took down the Eagles 4-1 at St. John's University. The game was rescheduled from Wednesday (due to rain) at Dick Putz Field to Thursday at St. John's. Rocori got on the board first in the game, scoring once in the top of the fourth. The Spartans then added three runs in the top of the fifth inning to extend their lead. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Apol

COLD SPRING -- The Rocori Spartans baseball team took two from Fergus Falls on Tuesday night at the Cold Spring Baseball Park. The Spartans won Game 1 of the doubleheader by a score of 5-2, before completing the Central Lakes Conference sweep with an 8-0 win in Game 2. In Game 1, Rocori scored two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings en route to the win. Dalton Thelen led the way for Rocori, going 3-for-3 with one run scored and two RBI. Dylan Tebrake had one RBI and

It was a nice week for the Rocori Spartans baseball team, who finished with a record of 3-1 in four games. Let's take a look at the Athletes of the Week from the week: 1. Jordan Barth Barth led the Rocori offense during the week, going 5-for-13 with a grand slam, one run scored, eight RBI and three stolen bases. On the season, Barth is batting .381 with 13 RBI, 10 runs scored and one home run. 2. William Huls Huls finished the week 4-for-14 from the plate, recording two doubl

ALEXANDRIA -- The Rocori Spartans fell to the Alexandria Cardinals on Thursday evening in back-and-forth game at Knute Nelson Field. Alexandria scored a walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take down Rocori 4-3 in the Central Lakes Conference contest. The Spartans and Cardinals were knotted up at 1-1 heading into the the sixth inning, until Alexandria scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to gain a 3-1 lead. But Rocori answered right back, tallying t