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After winning seven consecutive games, the North Branch Vikings softball team came back to earth with a 10-0 loss at Benilde-St. Margaret’s Monday, May 1.

The Vikings got a lead off single from Megan Ranger in the second. Tiffany Good sacrificed her to second base, but two NB strikeouts ended the threat. The Knights scored the first run of the game on a triple, following a Viking error.

It was still 1-0 when BSM used six fourth inning hits to score seven and gain an 8-0 advantage. The Knights scored two more in the fifth to win by the ten-run rule.

“They hit the ball as well as any team we’ve faced this year and they hit in all spots in the order,” said North Branch head coach Larry Brodin. “If one or two of their line-drive hits had been at someone, instead of in the gaps, this game would have been much closer. Defensively, we played well, committing just one error. They earned all but one of their runs. We’ll just...have to start a new streak.”

North Branch 000 00 0

Benilde 010 72 10

North Branch at Cooper

May 4

At Cooper, the Vikings lost 4-2 to the conference leading Hawks. Three first inning singles led to two runs and a 2-0 lead for the home team.

Heather Hoveland doubled with one out in the third. Hoveland moved to second on Danni Sonnenfeld’s single. When the Cooper catcher tried to pick Hoveland off third, Sonnenfeld went to second and Hoveland scored. Sonnenfeld tied the game when Megan Ranger came up with a clutch, two-out single.

Two singles and a Viking fielding miscue gave the Hawks two runs in their half of the third to make the score 4-2. The Vikings put runners in scoring position in each of the last three innings, but couldn’t get them home.

Tiffany Good took the loss while pitching five innings, giving up seven hits and one walk while striking out five. “She pitched a good game against a good team. We just needed to get her a few more runs,” said Brodin.

Sonnenfeld and Steph Saxe each had two hits for the Vikes in the loss. The team now stands 8-5 overall and 5-4 in the NSC.

North Branch 002 000 0 2

Cooper 202 000 0 4

Sauk Rapids Tournament

Saturday, May 6

The Vikings opened the tournament with a come-from-behind 7-4 win over Sauk Rapids.

Sauk Rapids took a first inning lead when its third batter blasted a homerun to give the host team the lead. The Storm added three in their half of the fifth on another four bagger, a walk, two singles and a Viking error.

Trailing 4-0, Hoveland and Sonnenfeld singled for the Vikings. Saxe sacrificed the two runners to scoring positions and Ranger’s double made it 4-2 in favor of the Storm. Shortstop Maggie Johnson doubled to drive Ranger in.

Megan Aho singled with one out in the sixth. Desi Nelson was hit by a pitch and Hoveland walked to load the bases. Sonnenfeld’s single scored two to give the Vikes their first lead and two out singles by Ranger and Johnson drove in the final two runs.

The 7-4 lead held up as the Vikings picked up the win. Johnson went 4 for 4 with 3 RBI’s, Ranger was 3 for 4 and drove in 3 and Sonnenfeld was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s to lead the NB offense. Saxe pitched the first five innings before giving way to Good, who completed the game and picked up the win.

Sauk Rapids 100 030 0 4

North Branch 000 034 0 7

Spring Lake Park 8, NB 0

The combination of poor defense and a tough Panther pitcher spelled doom for the Vikings in the second game of the tournament.

According to coach Brodin, several mental mistakes, combined with six Viking errors led to many of the SLP runs. Good pitched the complete game for the Vikings. She gave up 10 hits, but only three of the eight Panther runs were earned. Ranger had two hits and was the only Viking batter with more than one.

“This was a tough one for us. We just didn’t seem focused and certainly didn't play a solid game, this time,” was Brodin’s analysis.

North Branch 000 000 0 0

Spring Lake Park 204 200 0 8

Simley 6, North Branch 0

The third game of the Sauk Rapids tournament was a repeat of game two from an offensive perspective. Saxe, Aho and Johnson had the only hits for the Vikings in a game in which they never made a serious threat to score.

Once again, defensive mistakes (three errors) were costly as only one of the Simley runs was earned. Steph Saxe pitched the complete game and took the loss.

North Branch 000 000 0 0

Simley 023 001 0 6

North Branch at Irondale

Monday, May 8

Playing their seventh game in eight days, the Vikings came up on the short end of a 9-5 score at the Knights’ field.

Irondale used four hits off Viking starter Steph Saxe and and an NB error to take a 4-0 first inning lead. The Knights added three more runs in the second in the second to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

Meanwhile, the Viking hitters could manage only two hits through the first three innings. North Branch got back in the game with four runs in the fourth. Ranger singled, Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice, Aho walked and Ann Fortier singled to account for the first run.

Nelson and Hoveland walked to force in the second run. Sonnenfeld followed with a double that made the score 7-4. In the fifth, Aho singled and Aho walked. Nelson’s single drove Aho in and the Vikes were down only two, 7-5.

The Knights plated two in the bottom of the sixth while holding the visitors in check for the the remainder of the contest to account for the 9-5 Irondale win.

Johnson went 2 for 4 and was the only Viking to get more than one hit. Saxe went the distance and took the loss for North Branch.

North Branch 000 410 0 5

Irondale 430 002 x 9

With four regular season games left, the Vikings stand at 9-8 overall and 5-5 in conference play.

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