BP beats USC at Siebert Field

Blooming Prairie baseball made the trip north for a game against the USC Rebels at the University of Minnesota’s Siebert Field and left the Twin Cities with a 2-0 win.

All of Blooming Prairie’s runs came in the fourth inning, when a bases-clearing triple by Carter Bishop scored Alex Lea and Dylan Anderson from first and second.

“Getting that initial lead was huge. I think the longer we allowed them to stay in the game, the more confident they became. So just to get a couple runs across the plate was huge, and our guy Lance Lembke was great on the mound for us,” said Blooming Prairie head coach Matt Kittelson.

A game that featured only a handful of hits throughout the first six innings became dramatic in top of the seventh, when USC finally found the life it needed to threaten the Awesome Blossoms’ lead.

Runners stood on first and second with two outs when a pop fly was hit to Blooming Prairie centerfielder Brady Kittelson.

After making his initial read on the flight path of the ball, chaos ensued on what Kittelson would normally make a routine play.

“I went to take my back step and realized it was a bit shorter than it seemed. I stepped a little too far back and slipped on my back foot. I regained my ground and dove to catch the ball, but it popped out. I saw he was rounding third toward home and knew I was going to gun him,” said Kittelson.

His read on the situation was as accurate as his throw.

The junior centerfielder sent a speeding bullet of a throw toward home that found catcher Carsten Ingvalson chest-high for the easy catch and tag to make the out and end the game.

“I didn’t really think about it too much. It was just second nature,” said Brady Kittelson. “It felt great all my boys running up to me and shoulder-bumping me to celebrate.”

The win improved Blooming Prairie to 10-6 overall with an 8-2 conference record – good for second place in the Gopher Conference behind Kenyon-Wanamingo.

“We knew we would have the pieces in place to be in this position this year. Last year, we took our lumps because we were young, but this season to come in and get some wins early, we knew we could play with anyone,” said Matt Kittelson

Up next for the Awesome Blossoms is a home tilt against JWP for the season’s final regular season game on Wednesday, May 22, at 5 p.m.