The win may not have been pretty, but Park of Cottage Grove coach Bob Loshek doesn’t care.
“It always feels good to win, right?” Loshek said with a grin after his team escaped Thursday afternoon with a 5-4 win at rival Woodbury to wrap up the Suburban East Conference title.
Other than a solo home run in the fifth inning by sophomore second baseman Shelby Schabacker, Loshek’s Wolfpack needed a passed ball and another Royals' defensive miscue to create offense in this heavyweight bout between two of the top-ranked teams in the Class 4A coaches' poll.
Manufacturing runs is fine with Loshek, who said the tough competition offered by fifth-ranked Woodbury should help prepare top-ranked Park (15-1, 12-0) for the Section 3 playoffs.
“I told the girls this is exactly what it’s going to be like in the playoffs,” Loshek said.
“Eastview (No. 9-4A), Eagan (No. 8-4A),” Loshek said, referring to the Wolfpack’s Section 3 rivals. “Those teams are going to battle just like this.”
Leading by two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, a battle is exactly what the Wolfpack got as Woodbury threatened to win in walk-off fashion.
The Royals loaded the bases with no outs, putting the pressure on Park freshman pitcher Bryanna Olson.
Woodbury seemed to find the breaking point as it scored a run on a passed ball to pull within one with only one out, but Olson’s grit carried her through the final two batters to earn the win.
The right-hander has a simple method for shaking off the nerves in those types of situations.
“I just take a deep breath, get (in the circle) and clear my head,” she said.
Olson can also call on past experience. She made a relief appearance in Park's first matchup with Woodbury this season, entering with one out in the seventh inning. Olson struck out back-to-back Royals to seal the Wolfpack's 2-1 victory.
On Thursday, she also had the steadying presence of senior Autumn Mortenson behind the plate.
“I just try to be calm,” Mortenson said.
“On the team, there are a couple of girls that will start panicking, so it’s always important to stay calm,” Mortenson added.
Olson said she’s enjoying her time playing the varsity.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s a great experience,” Olson said, adding that her devastating changeup will make “probably a million” more appearances in the future.
Loshek, a former Woodbury assistant who was named the head coach at Park in 2009, expressed relief in the close victory, but admitted that his nerves may be frayed after the dramatic finish.
“Games like this will put you in the grave a little early,” Loshek said with a smile.
Ashley Mickschl (middle) is greeted by teammates after hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Her home run helped stake the Royals to an early lead, but the Wolfpack rallied to win. Photo by Trevor Squire
First Report
Park of Cottage Grove scored two runs on a passed ball in the fourth inning, and sophomore second baseman Shelby Schabacker hit a home run in the fifth to propel the Wolfpack to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Woodbury in Suburban East Conference action on Thursday afternoon at Ojibway Park in Woodbury.
The Royals (11-4, 8-4) took a 3-0 lead after the first three innings, thanks to an RBI double and a two-run homer by junior Ashley Mickschl.
Park, the top-ranked team in the Class 4A state coaches’ poll, started it's comeback with three runs in the top of the fourth, and then brought freshman pitcher Bryanna Olson into the game.
Olson helped hold the No. 5-4A Royals scoreless over the next two innings while the Wolfpack added two runs to take a 5-3 lead into the seventh.
Woodbury added a run on a passed ball in the bottom of the inning but couldn't get any closer.
Olson earned the win for Park (15-1, 12-0), which locked up the league title with the victory.
