---

The Vikings were finally able to enjoy some nice spring weather, and with it came a four-game winning streak, but Totino Grace abruptly ended that streak last week.

North Branch 3, Irondale 2

After a disheartening 8-0 loss to Irondale to open up the 2008 season, the North Branch girls softball team got a measure of revenge against the Knights last week, defeating them 3-2.

The contest was a dead heat until the fourth inning. With the score locked at 0-0, Tiffany Anderson started a one-out rally with a single.

After a stolen base, and a passed ball, Anderson stood at third with Megan Aho at the plate.

Aho drew a walk, and then stole secondto put runners at second and third for senior sensation Steph Saxe.

Saxe, who also pitched the game for the Vikings, drove home both Anderson and Aho with a single to left. She advanced all the way to third on Irondale miscues.

With two outs, shortstop Kayla Obitz stepped to the plate and added what would be the deciding run when she singled Saxe home for a 3-0 North Branch lead.

Saxe was cruising along, enjoying a 3-1 lead until the last inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, things got dicey for Saxe as a lead-off walk, and three straight singles plated one Knight which made the score 3-2, and loaded the bases with no outs for Irondale. A hit may have ended the game, but Saxe proceeded to induce a pop out in the infield, a grounder to the Kayla Obitz at shortstop, who threw home for the force out, and another grounder to Obitz, who threw out the Knight at first base to preserve the win.

"Our pitching and defense was tremendous against Irondale," coach Ron Trunk said. "We made great plays to end the fifth, sixth and seventh innings."

Kayla Obitz was the offensive catalyst, going 3-for-3 with one RBI. Anderson went 2-for-3 with one run, and Saxe was 1-for-3 with the key two-RBI single.

Saxe also pitched a complete game for the Vikings, going seven innings, scattering five hits, and whiffing six Knights.

"Steph has pitched very well for us this year, and today we were able to produce enough offense to get her the win," Trunk said.

NB 3, Cambridge-Isanti 2

The Vikings continued their winning ways with a narrow 3-2 victory over Highway 95 rival Cambridge-Isanti.

The Bluejackets scored first, tallying two runs in the second inning on three straight singles, and a North Branch throwing error.

The Vikings got back into the game in the fourth frame, producing a two-out run to pull within one. Elise Holmstrom doubled to right field, and scored when Kayla Obitz hit a single.

In the sixth inning, time was not on the Vikings side, but Saxe, who's been such a good pitcher for the Vikings thus far, came through with the bat.

After a single, Saxe stole second, and came all the way home on Lauren Larue's single to right center.

In the final inning, eighth-grader Alley Carlson led off with a huge triple to put the Vikings in good position. Anderson hit a grounder to the infield, but Carlson dashed home. The throw was bobbled by the Jacket catcher, and Carlson scored the game-winning run.

Anderson got the win for the Vikings. She went seven innings, allowing only six hits and two unearned runs, while striking out six.

"Tiff had a shaky start, but she really settled down after that," Trunk noted.

Carlson led the offense, continuing her two-game tear, and upping her average to .450 on the year.

Totino Grace 6, NB 4

The Eagles flew in and snatched the Vikings four-game winning streak, and shredded it up with a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over the Vikings Wednesday, May 14.

North Branch drew first blood against the Eagles with a two-run opening inning. Anderson led off with a single, and proceeded to steal second base and score on a Saxe single.

Saxe took second on the throw home, and after a passed ball, she was driven home by a sacrifice fly off the bat of Holmstrom.

Totino-Grace tied the score in the third inning with two singles and a double. In the fourth inning, they took their first lead of the game by adding three runs for a 5-2 lead.

North Branch knocked two runs off of the lead in the sixth inning. Anderson, whose bat has been hot of late, singled to start the rally. She was called for runner interference on an Aho grounder that resulted in an out.

But, Holmstrom singled Aho over to second, and Obitz drove both of them home with a bases-clearing double.

But, the Eagles still enjoyed a one-run lead, and they tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half of the sixth inning for the 6-4 win.

Saxe took the loss for the Vikings, going the whole game, giving up six runs on 13 hits, and fanning six batters.

Trunk remained upbeat, however, that his team is making strides late in the season. "Our offense has shown a little more consistency over the last few games," he said. "And our defense has been much improved over the whole second half of the season."

Spring Lake Park 5, NB 0

In the regular season finale, the offense went stagnant as the 15-4 Spring Lake Park Panthers.

"Our offense had trouble getting anything going against SLP's Sara DuPaul," Trunk said.

The Panthers, on the other hand, got three runs on the board in the third inning with four hits and a walk.

The other two runs were tacked on after a North Branch error allowed two Panthers to cross the plate.

The North Branch offense only mustered four hits, two off the bat of Saxe and one for Obitz and Katelyn Danks. Anderson went the distance for the Vikings, giving up five runs 11 hits and striking out six Panthers.

"This game was a good measuring stick for how far we have come as a team, especially defensively," Trunk said, pointing to the fact that the Panthers had beaten the Vikings 20-0 in their first meeting in the second game of the season. "It also shows in our record, as we started 1-9, but finished up the season with a 4-2 run.

---