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The close first game of the North Branch High School baseball season was a precursor for the rest of the year. "We were in many of the games," said Viking head coach Steve Christensen, "and just fell short."

In the season opener, NB tied the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, only to lose 4-3 to the powerful Chisago Lakes Wildcats, a team that was rated in the top 10 in Minnesota for most of the season.

That early loss was the first of seven consecutive for the Vikings. The team bounced back to win five -in-a-row in the middle of the season before losing a disappointing 1-0 game to Benilde-St. Margaret's May 7. That loss marked the beginning of another losing streak that lasted until the Vikings were ousted from the Section 7AAA Tournament by state runner-up Duluth East.

The Vikings finished the season with a 2-12 North Suburban Conference record and a 5-16 overall mark, including the playoff loss to Duluth.

"We had high goals to start the season of playing good baseball," the coach continued. "Although we didn't achieve the team record we had wished, there were a lot of good games of baseball to watch.

"Our biggest fault was leaving baserunners in scoring position. Inopportune errors and lapses in mental concentration also led to problems with giving up runs," Christensen said.

Although the team was not able to advance in the post-season playoffs, three individuals were recognized for their regular season play. Senior DJ Charley earned a spot on the All-NSC squad. Teammates Danny Ginal and Tony Dahlberg were named Honorable Mention. The team won the NSC Academic Championship.

"We'll lose a good core of seniors that really worked hard to achieve. There's no doubt in my mind that this core group of graduates will be great people for the real world," Christensen added.

Summer Baseball

Two summer league baseball teams are playing this summer. The American Legion Post #85 and VFW Post# 6424 baseball teams have started their seasons.

"It's great to see such an interest in baseball in the summer. Amidst family vacations and summer jobs, they're still out their improving their skills and getting great game experiences," Christensen concluded.

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