PHOTOS: Richfield Falls In Baseball Opener

While it was a beautiful day for a ballgame, the results were not as favorable for the Richfield baseball team as the Spartans lost, 9-2, at Hopkins in the season opener Wednesday.

Junior pitcher Phil Peterson took the mound for the first start of the season and held the hosts scoreless for the first two innings, while recorded Richfield's first hit of the year on a second inning double.

While Dhein was stranded at second base, the Spartans did put together a two-out rally in the third inning to claim a 2-0 advantage.

Tyler Jegtvig's two-out double scored P.J. Peterson and Tyler Klopp to stake Richfield to the early edge, however, the Royals were quick to respond.

Hopkins tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the third and took the lead for good with a two-run fourth inning before pushing five runs across in the fifth inning to take the 9-2 lead it would hold until the final out.

Camren Dearing came on for Phil Peterson with one out in the fifth and hurled the final 1 2/3 innings, pitching to 10 batters in all.

With the non-conference loss, Richfield dropped to 0-1 to start the year as the Spartans now prepare for their home opener against Virginia at 4:30 p.m. Friday.