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North Branch softball coach Ron Trunk must have been smiling after his team ran off three wins in the last five days of April.

Thursday, April 26, the Vikings beat Columbia Heights 4-1 on the Hylanders' diamond. The next day, Trunk's squad dispatched Cambridge 10-0 at Cambridge. NB outscored Fridley 7-1 in North Branch Monday, April 30.

The Viking streak came to an end at Totino-Grace Wednesday, May 2 when NB lost 8-1 to the Eagles.

NB at Columbia Heights

The Vikings scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. NB catcher Megan Ranger led off with a four-pitch walk. She moved to second on Dani Sonnenfeld's groundout and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Kayla Obitz.

North Branch added three more in the fifth. Karissa Wilson's pinch-hit single was followed by a sacrifice bunt by Alyssa Peterson and a walk to Megan Aho. Consecutive singles by Maggie Johnson, Ranger and Sonnenfeld plated three runners and the Vikings were up 4-0.

With one run in, nobody out and the bases loaded with Hylanders in the bottom of the sixth, the Vikings defense lifted them out of the jam. Obitz picked off a line drive at second base and doubled the runner at first base while holding the runners at second and third. Pitcher Steph Saxe got the next batter to ground out to the mound.

Saxe gave up only five hits to get the complete game win for the Vikings. She walked just two while striking out seven.

"Steph really pitched well for us," Trunk said. "She mixed her pitches and was hitting her spots to keep the batters off balance. We expect her to continue to pitch like that."

NB 10, Cambridge-Isanti 0

North Branch reached season highs in hits (14) and runs (10) at Cambridge Friday, April 27. All nine Viking starters had at least one hit in the five inning win over the Bluejackets.

Megan Aho led the hit parade, going 3 for 4 with a double. Steph Saxe, Megan Ranger and Elise Holmstrom each had two hits for the Vikings.

NB scored three runs in the first and, again in the second and plated two in the third and the fourth. Meanwhile, outstanding defense kept Cambridge from scoring.

In the Bluejacket half of the first, the lead-off runner, on base with a single, was cut down when she tried to steal second. With runners at second and third, still in the first, first baseman Megan Scherer made a fine catch in foul territory. That ended the Cambridge threat.

Tiffany Good pitched a complete game shutout (her second of the season). Good gave up four hits and faced only 18 batters in five innings. ""It was obviously our best effort of the year," coach Trunk said. "We had it all working."

North Branch 7, Fridley 1

This game remained scoreless through the first two-and-a-half innings. But, in the bottom of the third, the host Vikings got things going. Alyssa Peterson led-off with a bunt single, stole second and scored on Megan Aho's single. Aho scored on Megan Ranger's single, making th score 2-0 after three.

NB broke the game open with a four-run fifth. Elise Holmstrom and Aho walked, Peterson sacrificed the runners to scoring position. Ranger's triple scored the runners and a Dani Sonnenfeld single drove in the other runs.

The Vikings built a 7-0 margin in the sixth. A single by Aho, a walk to Maggie Johnson and a single by Ranger accounted for the final Viking tally.

Fridley scored an unearned run in the seventh to complete the scoring.

"It's encouraging to see our hitters and pitchers continue to improve. That was an area we struggled with early in the year," coach Trunk said. "Alyssa Peterson is starting to put some pressure on teams with her bunting and speed on the bases."

Tiffany Good pitched another complete game for the Vikings, striking out five and walking two. Ranger was 4 for 4 at the plate with 4 runs batted in and Aho was 3 for three with a walk to lead the Viking offense.

NB at Totino-Grace

Totino opened the scoring in the bottom of the third on a hit batter, a walk, a single and a base clearing double to take a 3-0 lead.

The Vikings responded with their only run in the top of the fourth. Megan Ranger reached on an error and scored on a two-out Steph Saxe double to make it 3-1.

The Eagles scored five unearned runs in the fifth to break the game open. Viking pitchers hit two batters and walked three while the fielders committed three errors, leading to the runs.

"It was a a good ballgame, spoiled by one inning of bad defense," said Viking head coach Ron Trunk. "We're looking forward to getting back on the field and proving we're a better defensive team."

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