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Holmen High School's baseball team has been oh-so-close to several Mississippi Valley Conference wins in the last month, including an extra-inning loss, two 1-run losses and a two-run loss, one of which was a 12-11 loss to Aquinas at Copeland Park April 26. Holmen finally reserved the tides on one of those close games Tuesday at Viking Field, capping their regular season with their first signature win this spring, an 8-7, eight-inning win over Aquinas.

Dominic Lenz was the hero for HHS, as his single to right-center on a first-pitch curve ball from Jason King scored Trey Candahl with the game-winning run. Candahl continued his hot late-season hitting with two knocks.

“He looked terrible in his two at-bats before that,” Vikings head coach Duane Vike said of Lenz. “We've been knocking on the door a lot lately,”

Holmen forged a two-out rally in the eighth for the win, beginning when Jay Merfeld reached on a hard-hit error to advance Trey Candahl to second after Candahl singled with one out. Jarrod Bock singled following Merfeld to load the bases, with Corey Jessessky drawing a walk to set the stage for Lenz.

The Vikings (2-10, 2-16) did not trail Tuesday until the eighth, when the Blugolds (10-2 MVC) got a hit batsmen and RBI double from Sam Pederson to take a 7-6 lead. But Ross Jenks was able to pitch out of the inning and keep HHS within one run before earning his first varsity win.

“It was a pretty good ball game,” Vike said. “I guess what it came down to is it was 2-1 in the eighth.”

Holmen looked to have initially blown a great game-winning opportunity in the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out after a Merfeld double and passed ball. Aquinas head coach Scott Bagniefski then elected to walk the next two hitters to set up a force out at the plate, which became null and void after Lenz struck out. But the strategy worked in the next at bat when the Blugolds got a force out at the plate, going to a five-man infield and two-man outfield. Matt Price nearly had the game-winner with two outs, but his swinging bunt went about two inches foul, before he grounded out sharply to first.

Shane Peterson took a tough-luck no-decision after allowing four runs and two earned runs while pitching into the sixth. Jordan Vaaler also pitched in the sixth before giving way to Jenks.

The Vikings showed much improved defense from Monday's 10-9, bottom of the seventh loss at Onalaska, making two errors to four for Aquinas and turning two double play. The second came on an attempted suicide squeeze in the sixth, which Jenks caught and turned into an unassisted double play. The first came with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth on a 6-4-3 from Candahl to Jessessky to Lenz.

“Shane Peterson pitched a real quality game,” Vike said. “You'd hope a win like this would give us a fighting chance to win a playoff game or two.”

Holmen opens the playoffs Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Onalaska.

Holmen used four pitchers in both Monday's loss and Friday's 21-19 defeat in Tomah. Zach Mally was the only one to show effectiveness Monday, retiring the only two batters he faced in the sixth. Despite such an apperance, Vike said he isn't appearing to run his bullpen like a major-league team.

“The roles our pitchers have been pitching in have usually been out of necessity,” Vike said. “I've probably even gone too long with some of our starters sometimes this year.”