Rosemount tops Champlin Park in 2026 Minnesota High School Baseball Class 4A State Championship: Live Score Recap

MINNEAPOLIS — You don’t need to feel one half of your face to be the winning pitcher in a state championship. At least, Rosemount senior pitcher Evan Boll doesn’t need to.

On May 14, Boll was pitching against Lakeville North when a line drive hit him in the right side of his face. He fractured a part of his orbital bone and surgeons inserted two metal plates into the area. The doctors told him his recovery would be four to six weeks, so there was an opportunity for a return for the state tournament.

Boll pitched his first game back and won in the quarterfinals on Thursday. On Monday at Target Field, the No. 4 Rosemount Irish won their first MSHSL Class 4A state title in program history thanks, in part, to Boll dimming the No. 2 Champlain Park bats. He finished with five innings pitched allowing five hits, two walks and one run, and the Irish won 4-1.

“I don’t have any feeling in it right now,” Boll said of the area around his eye. “That’ll come back in a month.”

His doctors did not recommend a return, but Boll was determined to come back for this moment.

“I knew we’d get it done in sections, and I’d get an opportunity here,” Boll said. “I was never going to quit.”

After allowing one run in the second inning, Boll got help from the Rosemount bats. Junior Oliver Anderson hit an RBI double in the third inning, and then senior Jackson Agee doubled to score Anderson. The Irish added two more runs in the sixth inning with sacrifice flies by senior Benjamin Lillemoen and senior Callan Ronay.

“Our guys are resilient,” head coach Chris Swansson said. “No matter what, they were ready to bounce back, and they did that tonight after coming back from down 1-0.”

The game was delayed by over an hour due to rain, so Boll had to wait to take the mound. He decided to get back into his street clothes during the delay. When the grounds crew began to take the tarp off, he got his uniform on so he wouldn’t have to break any momentum.

When it was time for a relief pitcher, Boll and the team had no problems handing the ball to junior Jacob Michel, who pitched two shutout innings.

“Every time we put him in at the end of the game, we’ve felt really good,” Swansson said.

Michel got the final out when Champlin Park senior catcher Cal Ockuly—who the Marine Corps allowed to defer his basic training to play in the game—hit a fly out to center field. Agee caught it, and the team celebrated, and they all had smiles on their faces, including the broken one.

“I believe in this team,” Anderson said. “I knew we’d get it done. We’ve been looking at this upcoming team for some time.”

Rosemount tops Champlin Park in 2026 Minnesota High School Baseball Class 4A State Championship: Live Score Recap

Box score

FINAL: Rosemount 4, Champlin Park 1

SEVENTH INNING

Michel gets Cal Ockuly to fly out to center field to end the game. The Rebels did not get a runner on base in the final half inning.

Nordby keeps Rosemount from adding more runs. Champlin Park will have three outs to score three runs as we enter what could be the final half inning.

SIXTH INNING — Champlin Park 4, Rosemount 1

Michel gets Champlin Park to go three up, three down in the inning.

Junior Jacob Michel is in to pitch for Rosemount to begin the top half of the sixth inning.

Rosemount adds two more runs! The Irish had runners on first and second with no outs when Nordby's pick off attempt to second base went into center field, so the Irish runners advanced to second and third base. Then, Benjamin Lillemoen hit a sacrifice fly to score Jack Japel from third base. Rosemount scored a second run in the inning when Callan Ronay also hit a sac fly, and Colin Blume scored.

FIFTH INNING

Boll continues to pitch well for Rosemount. Through five innings, he's allowed five hits, two walks and one run.

Rosemount gets a single from Jackson Agee, but Henderson flies out to right field for the final out of the half inning.

FOURTH INNING

Champlin Park gets one hit in the inning, but that's it.

Rosemount leaves two runners on in the bottom half of the fourth inning.

THIRD INNING — Rosemount 2, Champlin Park 1

Champlin Park had runners on second and first with no outs, but Boll got the Rebels to fly out, strikeout and pop out—which was an impressive catch by catcher Charlie Wielinski—to end the inning.

Nordby strikes out Mason Henderson to end the top half of the inning.

Vendel is out of the game after allowing three hits and two runs. Senior Evan Nordby enters the game with a Rosemount runner on second and two outs.

Rosemount takes the lead with two runs! Oliver Anderson hit a hard double down the left baseline to score Bennett Simmering. Then, Jackson Agee doubled to right center to score Anderson.

SECOND INNING — Champlin Park 1, Rosemount 0

One run for Champlin Park! Alex Berg reached second base when he hit a single, but Rosemount right fielder Colin Blume let the ball roll by him. Berg advanced to third base and then scored via a sac fly by Jaden Oligmueller.

Rosemount gets runners to first and second with two outs and a 3-2 count for Benjamin Lillemoen, but Vendel struck him out.

FIRST INNING — Champlin Park 0, Rosemount 0

Senior Evan Boll is pitching for Rosemount to begin the game.

Rosemount gets a runner two second base with two outs, but Vendel gets a strikeout for the final out.

Champlin Park's Donovan Vendel throws the first pitch of the game, and we're underway after a long rain delay.

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