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North Branch finally got off the schneid and picked up three wins over the last two weeks of the season, using timely hitting and steady pitching to  finish the year 3-15.

The Vikings opened the stretch with a pair of wins in a double header at Hinckley-Finlayson on Saturday, May 2, defeating St. Anthony Village 7-5 before outlasting Esko 12-8 in a high-scoring second game.

Against St. Anthony Village, North Branch built an early lead and held off a late rally behind strong pitching from Bo Pederson and Ben Herges. Pederson earned the win after striking out seven over five innings, while Herges closed the game with four strikeouts in two innings of relief.

At the plate, Herges finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Jackson Puelston and Pederson each drove in two runs, while Henry Christensen scored three times as the Vikings capitalized on several St. Anthony miscues.

North Branch’s offense exploded in the second game against Esko. The Vikings scored six runs in the second inning and pounded out 13 hits in the 12-8 victory.

Jackson Puelston led the offense by going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Landon Ostrander added two hits and three RBIs, while Dustin Goggin scored three runs and collected two hits. Peyton Minnick added two hits as North Branch continued to pressure the Esko defense throughout the game.

Henry Christensen earned the win, tossing four innings.

The Vikings added another  victory on Friday, May 15, rallying beating Rock Ridge 8-4.

Ben Herges sparked the offense going a perfect 4-for-4 that included two doubles and three RBIs. Clayton Nephew added three hits and two RBIs, while Jackson Puelston drove in two runs.

Pederson earned another win on the mound, allowing just one run over five innings for North Branch.

The Vikes will be starting sections next week, and they’ll be a lower seed, but some spring magic has happened before for the red and white, so they’ll battle and see where they end up.

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