Edina found itself in a precarious position midway through its matchup with Lake Conference rival Minnetonka on Wednesday night.

The Hornets had landed on base only once after a three-hit opening inning, and as a result, trailed the Skippers by a run entering the top of the fifth.

And things seemed to be getting worse.

Edina had the game-tying run taken away after Minnetonka coach Paul Twenge appealed to the officials, who ruled that the Hornets' RBI-hit was a ground-rule double and sent the runner back to third base.

That would be the last of Edina's woes, thanks to senior center fielder Joey “Sparky” Sorenson. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound dynamo kick-started the Hornets’ offense with a two-run triple down the left-field line to give Edina a lead it wouldn't relinquish en route to the 8-5 road victory.

“I just really wanted to help my team and so I put all my energy in my swing,” said Sorenson, who finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored.

“I guess I’m the spark plug," he added. "I ignite the team is what they say."

Sorenson’s reserves were far from empty against Minnetonka, as he had a hand in five Edina runs and began the game with a bang. 

As the Hornets’ leadoff batter, Sorenson jumped on the first pitch of the game from the Skippers' starter Fox Leum, which resulted in a single to right field.

Sorenson eventually advanced to third base and scored on a double from pitcher Tyler Eckberg to give Edina an early 1-0 lead.

In the fifth, Sorenson's play proved combustible. After driving the ball to left field, he scurried around the diamond to reach third base.

Sorenson eventually scored the third and final run of the inning, giving the Hornets momentum at the plate heading into the final two innings.

Edina racked up six hits and nearly batted through its lineup in the fifth and sixth innings and added four more runs in the final two innings to put the game away.

“Hitting's contagious, so once one person starts hitting, everyone does,” Eckberg added. “(Sorenson’s) a great player, has a lot of energy and roams the outfield like no one else.”

Ranked No. 5 in Class 4A by Let’s Play Baseball, Edina (11-3, 2-2) ended Minnetonka's 10-game winning streak and dealt No. 1-4A Skippers (11-2, 3-1) their first Lake Conference loss of the season.

Eckberg, a Kansas State commit, took little credit for Wednesday's win, but closed the game having to pitch out of a jam after walking the Skippers' first three batters of the seventh inning.

With the bases loaded, Jake Jenzer, the league’s top hitter with a .424 average entering the game, stepped to the plate. Eckberg, however, threw a steady stream of curveballs before delivering a fastball that Jenzer watched go by for a third strike.

“Tyler (Eckberg) was all guts, heart and arm,” Edina coach Carter Freeman said. “He’s a smart pitcher, and he’s the guy you’d want in a big game.”

The Hornets play in Class 4A, Section 2 with Minnetonka and Lake Conference foe Eden Prairie and their matchups tend to be ultra-competitive, but Edina enters each with the same approach.

“We just focus on playing our game and winning every game we can, no matter if it’s for the conference or sections,” Eckberg said.