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Big Lake 9

North Branch 1

With a conference loss to Princeton already in the books, the Vikings fell to 0-2 in the Rum last Tuesday after falling to a good Big Lake team 9-1.

The Hornets stung North Branch early and often, scoring two in the first and one in the third to take a quick 3-0 lead.  During that stretch, the Viking defense struggled, committing five errors.

Big Lake then put the game away for good in the fifth with four more runs, pushing their lead to 7-0.  North Branch answered back with their only run of the game in the fifth after Megan Ranger singled home Dottie Graff, but it wasn't nearly enough.

The Hornets then completed the 9-1 win by adding one run in the sixth and one in the seventh.  North Branch didn't have an answer.

Despite the lopsided numbers, Vikings starting pitcher Tiffany Good pitched well in a losing effort.  Good gave up nine hits in the game while striking out three and walking one.  Stephanie Saxe worked the final two innings for North Branch.

“She (Tiffany) was around the plate all day.  She moved the ball around well and pitched quite well in her first varsity outing,” remarked Larry Brodin, North Branch head softball coach.  “We are going through a tough beginning and giving the other team too many opportunities to score runs.  We definitely will improve as we grow in experience.  We have stayed aggressive at the plate which is good.  A little more experience will change things.”

STMA 12

North Branch 9

If you would've taken a poll around the diamond, chances are most thought the game was over just three innings in, except of the course the Vikings. 

Down 7-1 to St. Michael-Albertville last Thursday, North Branch rallied with seven runs in the top of the fourth, taking an 8-7 lead.  Unfortunately, the Knights rattled off five of the next six runs to win the game 12-9.  Still, the comeback was something special.

Down 5-0, North Branch first got on the board thanks to a solo home run by Heather Hoveland in the third, the Vikings first home run of the season. One inning later, down 5-1, North Branch struck again, scoring seven runs on six hits.  Seven different players picked up RBI's for the Vikings as they sent 12 batters to the plate.  Dottie Graff, Tiffany Good, Danni Sonnenfeld, Hoveland, Ashley Klein, Megan Ranger and Maggie Johnson all produced runs as North Branch jumped in front 8-7. Sonnenfeld and Hoveland each finished with two RBI's in the game.

Leading by one, the Vikings fell behind for good in the fifth as St. Michael struck for three runs, then added two more in the sixth to grab a 12-8 lead.  Sonnenfeld added the final run of the game with an RBI single in the seventh on her second hit of the game, bringing the final score to 12-9.

Ranger led the Vikings at the plate with three hits while Sonnenfeld, Hoveland and Gabi Olson each added two hits.  For the game, North Branch finished with 12 hits.

On the mound, Stephanie Saxe took the loss, allowing 10 runs (five earned) over five innings.  Saxe walked four and struck out one.

The loss was the Vikings third of the season and their third conference setback of the year.

Virginia 7

North Branch 3 (8 inn.)

Last Saturday versus Virginia, North Branch had about as many chances to win the game as they did all of last year.  Unfortunately, the Vikings failed to capitalize, losing the game 7-3 in eight innings.

It was a frustrating loss.

Scoreless in the bottom of the third, North Branch broke onto the scoreboard first after Randi Zentner walked and Dottie Graff drove her in with a two-out triple, making the score 1-0.

Virginia answered right back in the fourth with a run of their own thanks to a single, stolen base and North Branch error, the Vikings only error of the game.  The Blue Devils then struck for two more in the fifth, grabbing a 3-1 lead.

Meanwhile, although the Vikings were in position to keep pace, they couldn't.  North Branch left the bases loaded in the fourth and stranded runners at second and third in the fifth. 

Finally in the bottom of the sixth, they made Virginia pay, scoring two runs to tie the game 3-3.  Heather Hoveland got things going with a lead-off double to left.  Three batters later, after back-to-back strikeouts, Tiffany Good stroked a single to keep the inning alive. A walk to Zentner loaded the bases which was followed by a two-run double by Graff. 

That's the good news.  The bad news for head coach Larry Brodin was that North Branch ended the inning with the bases packed.  It was a huge missed opportunity, one that would come back to haunt them. That's because, after leaving the winning run at third base in the bottom of the seventh, the game went to extra innings tied 3-3. 

In the top of the eighth, Virginia made their move by scoring four runs on two hits, three walks and a hit batter.  Meanwhile, the Vikings went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth, bringing the game to a close.  The final- Virginia 7, North Branch 3.

Even though it was a frustrating loss, several Vikings stood out.  On the mound, Good was great, pitching seven solid innings.  Good allowed eight hits and struck out four.  At the plate, Graff went three for five with 3 RBI's.  In addition, Hoveland finished the game with two hits.

The loss dropped the Vikings overall record to 0-4 on the season with Proctor up next.

Proctor 12

North Branch 4

Just hours after losing to Virginia last Saturday, Proctor rolled out of North Branch with a 12-4 win, handing the Vikings their fifth loss of the season in the process.

North Branch struck first in the game, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Megan Ranger scored from third on a walk.  One inning later with the game tied 1-1, the Vikings took their second lead of the game, this time scoring two runs to charge in front 3-1.  Singles by Stephanie Saxe, Maggie Johnson and Heather Hoveland packed the bases before Ranger drove in two with a double.  It was her second hit of the day to that point and the Vikings sixth hit through the first three innings. 

They showed no signs of slowing down.  However, neither did Proctor who quickly answered with two runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game 3-3.  Even though the Vikings grabbed their third lead of the game with a run in the bottom of the fourth, Proctor was just getting started.

Down 4-3, the Rails broke the game open with three runs to take a commanding 6-4 lead.  Far from finished, Proctor added one more run in the sixth and five in the seventh, building a huge lead. 

It was an insurmountable lead.  Thanks to nine runs over the last three innings, the Rails had a 12-4 win when the dust settled and the smoke cleared. As for North Branch, the loss dropped the Vikings to 0-5 on the season.

Maggie Johnson suffered the loss on the mound, giving up six runs over four innings of work.  At the plate, Ranger led the way for North Branch with three hits on four trips.  She also knocked in two RBI's.

“We were in both games for awhile,” said Brodin, dating back to the Vikings first game of the day against Virginia.  “We should have won the first one.  We had plenty of chances but couldn't break through with the big hit.  In the second game, we were doing fine and then just let it get away.  Hopefully we can recover and come back and pick one up on Thursday against Chisago Lakes.”

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