---

The North Branch baseball team had a roller coaster ride through sections, and the first major bump proved to be too big to overcome.

They opened play as the third seed, and they topped sixth seed Hibbing 5-3, earning them the right to take on second seeded Grand Rapids on Thursday, June 1 in Grand Rapids.

The Thunderhawks jumped out to a 5-1 lead and looked like they’d easily send the Vikings to the elimination bracket, but North Branch rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 5-5 and inject new life into the game and their hopes.

GR quickly dashed that hope with a walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh, coming out on top 6-5 and sending NB to an unenviable  spot in the elimination bracket.

The Vikes were always going to be in a tough spot there as you need some quality pitching depth to get through that bracket unscathed, and even then, the top seed is usually waiting and rested.

In a Section 7AAA elimination bracket game, the North Branch Vikings beat the Chisago Lakes Wildcats 5-1 to end the 2023 season for the Wildcats.  The Vikings took advantage of Wildcats defensive mishaps. Baserunning mistakes by the Wildcats limited their scoring opportunities.  Wildcat starting pitcher Luke Urhammer went the distance, and none of the five runs against him were earned.  He allowed seven hits and struck out three.  

In five innings, Viking starter Tanner Helin allowed one earned run on four hits and struck out six to pick up the win.  Loghan Croal pitched the final two innings for the Vikings, allowing two hits.  There were no walks for either team in the game, which is a rarity in high school.  The game was Saturday, June 3 at North Branch High School.  

The win sent the Vikings to an elimination bracket game against Cloquet June 6.

Dominic Torrez opened the top of the first for the Wildcats with a double to left but was easily thrown out at third by left fielder Sam Robillard.  Robillard and Andrew Orf opened the bottom of the inning for the Vikings with back-to-back singles.  Noah Thorsen reached on an error, with Robillard scoring, Orf moving to third and Thorsen ending up on second.  Lucas Goggin singled to center to drive in two more runs, the Vikings led 3-0, and there were still no outs.  But Wildcat starter Urhammer wasn’t rattled.  Helin flew out to center, and Jacob Karnes grounded into a double play to end the inning with no more damage.

In the top of the fourth, Wildcat Collin Hackl singled to center, stole second, went to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch to cut the Viking lead to 3-1.  In the top of the fifth, Tyler Drury led off with a double to center for the Wildcats.  Urhammer hit a hard grounder to short and, for some reason, Drury took off for third.  The throw from shortstop Croal easily beat Drury to third, but as he slid in, he knocked the ball out of third baseman Orf’s glove.  As Orf walked slowly to the fence along the third base side to pick up the ball, Drury stayed at third and Urhammer did not move off first.  After the lack of aggressiveness on the basepaths, two strikeouts and a groundout ended the Wildcat scoring threat.

Orf doubled with one out in the bottom of the fifth.  Thorsen hit a grounder at third baseman Jack Walker, but the ball got past Walker into left field.  Orf scored, and Thorsen ended up on second.  An attempted pickoff throw by catcher Caden Gibbs sailed into right center, and Thorsen scored to make the score 5-1.  The Wildcats had a single in each of the last two innings, but Croal didn’t allow either runner to advance past first, sealing the win for the Vikings.

But, a rejuvenated seventh-seeded Cloquet squad that had already eliminated the fourth-seeded Duluth Denfeld Hunters, topped the Vikings 6-1 on Tuesday, June 6 to end their season.

---