Baseball: Cannon Falls wins wild one against Kenyon-Wanamingo

Cannon Falls senior Trevor Sullivan has plenty of speed.

Standing on second base with one out in the seventh inning of a 2-2 game against Kenyon-Wanamingo, Sullivan showed off his wheels in scoring on an infield single to third base to give the Bombers a 3-2 walk-off victory Monday at John Burch Park in Cannon Falls.

Cannon Falls head coach Bucky Lindow said he was expecting senior Cedric Dicke to hit something on the ground and he was always planning to send Sullivan home.

“I had that envisioned in my mind all along,” Bucky Lindow said. “(Sullivan) is just such a dangerous runner.”

The Bombers’ aggressiveness on the base paths was the source of all three of their runs, including three steals of second base that led directly to their three runs. Cannon Falls finished with four stolen bases.

Bombers’ senior Braxton Lindow, recently recovered from ACL surgery, showed he’s almost 100 percent, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and an RBI.

“I was trying a little too hard (at first),” Braxton Lindow said of coming back from the injury. “I tried to stay within myself.”

Bucky Lindow said Braxton just needed a few games to get comfortable but he was pleased to see the speed coming back with two stolen bases and a bunt single.

“He needed some at-bats,” Bucky Lindow said of Braxton Lindow. “He hit a pretty good pitcher today and he hit him well.”

Sam Roosen was the starting pitcher for the Knights and his ability to throw curveballs for strikes kept Cannon Falls from putting any extended rallies together. He threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, one walk and one hit batter. He had five strikeouts.

“He was keeping us off-balance with that,” Braxton Lindow said of Roosen’s curveball. “He was changing speeds well.”

Dicke finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Bombers and Sullivan was 1-for-4 with a stolen base. Junior Noah Callister was the winning pitcher, throwing 1 1/3 inning and allowing two hits and senior Michael Growette pitched the first 5 2/3 inning, giving up one earned run on four hits and four walks. He struck out three.

The performance of sophomore catcher Brock Peterson played a crucial role in the outcome as he blocked pitch after pitch in the dirt and kept K-W from taking advantage on the base paths like Cannon Falls. He also caught a runner stealing to end the fifth inning.

“Our pitchers feel so confident with him back there,” Bucky Lindow said. “His technique is really good.”

Cannon Falls (12-4, 9-2 HVL) struck first in the third inning when Lindow singled and stole second base before Dicke doubled off the left-field fence to bring him in. K-W responded the next inning with an unearned run on an error by Paul Rolfes at second base to tie the game at 1-1 but the Bombers took back the lead 2-1 in the fifth inning on a two-out single by Lindow that brought Rolfes in from second base.

Again, the Knights scored in the next half inning when Taylor Floren singled to lead off the sixth and Peder Sviggum doubled down the right-field line to bring him in. The decision to pitch to Sviggum wasn’t the best one, Bucky Lindow said.

“We probably should have walked him,” he said. “(Growette) left a ball up and that’s the way it goes.”

With Cannon Falls tied with Lake City at the top of the Hiawatha Valley Conference, the walk-off victory held even more importance for the Bombers.

“It was huge,” Braxton Lindow said. “It was do or die today. We need to win out to control our own destiny.”

Next up, Cannon Falls faces Winona Cotter Friday in Winona.

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