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A cold spring couldn’t keep the Wildcat baseball team bottled up forever.  In the season opener last Thursday, April 7, starter Tyler Stilp pitched four innings of shutout baseball and Gabe Taylor and Henry Trost had two hits apiece to lead the Wildcats to an 8-2 win over the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets.  The game was played at Adolph Larson Field in Cambridge.

With the Wildcats leading 2-0 in the top of the third, Stilp doubled in one run and Adam Hanson singled in another to build the Wildcat lead to 4-0.  In the bottom of the inning, the Bluejackets loaded the bases with two outs, but Stilp got the next batter to ground out to short to end the inning.  Brown doubled in Trost in the top of the fifth and the Wildcats led 5-0.  In the sixth, Joey Ferris tripled and scored and later in the inning Trost doubled to right to give the Wildcats a 7-1 lead.

The Wildcats had eight hits and showed some patience at the plate, walking seven times.  The Bluejackets actually outhit the Wildcats 11-8 and also walked seven times.  The Wildcats just did a better job of taking advantage of their scoring opportunities.  Stilp allowed six hits and walked three in picking up the win.  Trevor Johnson allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings before Mitch Barrett came in to get the final four outs.

The Wildcats (1-0) will take advantage of the improving weather with four games over the next week.  They will host Princeton tonight at 4:30 at Pat Collins Field at Chisago Lakes High School.  Hermantown rolls into Lindstrom for an 11 a.m. game on Saturday.  Next Monday, April 18 the Wildcats will welcome Hudson, Wisc. to town for a 4:30 game before heading on the road to play at St. Michael-Albertville on Tuesday, April 19 at 4:30.

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