Spartans Score Four In River Heights Rivalry Win

After gaining an early 4-0 lead over River Heights rival South St. Paul, the Spartans had to rely on clutch pitching from southpaw Anthony Poole to record a win Tuesday night at Maguire Field. 

Four innings of efficient baseball gave way in the bottom of the fifth after the Packers loaded the bases and Poole gave up a triple to bring the score to 4-3. 

The lefty responded admirably though, stranding runners at second and third bases before ending the fifth inning. 

A somewhat shaky Poole gave up a long single in the bottom of the sixth inning before rallying to strike out the side. 

Poole almost stumbled again in the seventh inning, walking the first batter before forcing the next two to hit into easy outs. He ended the game by striking out the final batter in six pitches.   

"I feel like I could pitch seven more innings," Poole said after the game. "The adrenaline rush keeps my fastball pumping." 

Simley head coach Kevin Kirkwold called the win a great one and said the key to victory Tuesday night was his team "believing in (its) own abilities." 

When asked if he considered taking Poole out of the game when the lefty struggled a bit, Kirkwold simply said "No." 

"He was at a good number in his pitch count and, most importantly, he wanted the ball," Kirkwold said.