By Tom Schardin, Staff Writer

The Prior Lake baseball team took a step back in its quest for the Missota Conference title.

The Lakers fell 5-4 to Farmington on May 7, a team Prior Lake had beaten 11-2 back on April 15.

The Lakers (8-4 overall) are tied with Holy Angels atop the conference standings with 6-3 marks. The two teams will meet Monday, May 12 in Richfield for a 4:15 p.m. game that will put the winner in the driver’s seat for the conference crown.

The Lakers headed into the Holy Angels game on the heels of a 6-1 conference win over rival Shakopee on May 5 and a 10-7 non-conference loss to Minneapolis Southwest on May 2.

Prior Lake will take on St. Louis Park in a non-conference game on Friday at home starting at 4:15 p.m.

Following the first-place showdown with Holy Angels, the Lakers will play host to Red Wing on Tuesday, May 13, and then close out the regular season with three straight games on the road – at New Prague on May 14, at Shakopee on May 15 and at Wayzata on May 17.

The Section 2AAA playoffs are scheduled to start May 23. The Lakers are in a competitive field with the likes of No. 5-ranked Minnetonka and No. 10 Chaska.

Other section teams include Buffalo, Eden Prairie, Mankato West, Mankato East, New Prague, Shakopee, Waconia, Willmar and Hutchinson.

In the win over Shakopee, sophomore T.J. Larson pitched a complete-game for his team-leading third win of the season. He allowed just three hits and one earned run, while and striking out five.

The Lakers scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-1 lead.

Junior Jeff Butler went two for four with two runs scored and two RBIs, while senior Alex Flaschenriem went three for four with two RBIs.

Also getting RBIs were senior Bryn Forstner and junior Nick Reed.

In the loss to Farmington, senior J.P. Fonder earned the start and lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits to take the loss. Fonder is 2-2 on the season with a 2.70 earned-run average.

Senior Pat McDonald tossed two innings of relief, allowing two hits and no earned runs, while senior Monin Ouk pitched one inning and allowed three hits and two earned runs.

Farmington took a 5-1 lead after four innings. The Lakers scored three times in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn’t tie the game in their next two at bats.

Junior Ryan Rose went two for three with two RBIs in the loss, while Forstner had an RBI single. Senior Tyler Hoyt scored two runs.

Against Minneapolis Southwest, the Lakers gave up two big innings in the loss – a four-run second inning and four more in the sixth, which erased a 7-6 lead.

Cole Bjorge took the loss for the Lakers, lasting 4 2/3 innings and giving up nine hits and six earned runs. Junior Dan Schroeder was also touched for four runs, only one earned, in his 1 1/3 innings of work. Ouk pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

At the plate, Flaschenriem had two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs, while Hoyt and two RBIs. Junior Jared Wasik and Fonder each had one RBI.

Flaschenriem leads the Lakers with a .487 batting average. Butler has a team-high 14 RBIs.