By Cynthia Scott

North Branch dropped its first two games before putting together a decisive third round win at the Sauk Rapids Invitational tourney over the weekend, improving its season record to 4-10.

In the first round the Vikings lost a heartbreaker to Fergus Falls, 11-10 in 8 innings. They fell behind 5-0 but roared back to take a 6-5 lead in the fourth inning, then widened their lead to 9-6 after a Megan Ranger home run in the fifth. But the lead collapsed in the next inning when the Otters tied the score on two hits and two North Branch errors. The Vikings scored 1 in the top of the eighth to take a 10-9 lead, but were unable to hold it, giving up two runs in the eighth for the loss.

Gabbi Olson went 4-4 for the game to lead the hitting. Tiffany Good went the distance on the mound and took the loss.
In game two, North Branch again fell behind early, letting Sartell build a 7-0 lead before putting up two runs in the fifth off a grounder by Randi Zentner. Sartell added two more in the fifth for a 9-2 lead but North Branch continued to chip away and made it 9-4 in the sixth behind singles by Dottie Graff, Maggie Johnson and Olson. The Vikings made it interesting in the seventh when Zentner singled, Steph Saxe walked and Graff doubled to make it 9-6. A ground ball out scored Graff to make it 9-7 but that was the end of the rally.

Graff went 3-4 and scored twice to lead the hitting, while Saxe went the distance for the loss.

In game 3 North Branch clobbered Mesabi East 11-1. Graff opened with a single and Danni Sonnenfeld followed with a home run and the Vikes were up 2-0 in the first. They added another in the third, but Mesabi East scored 1 in the fourth to make it 3-1.
North Branch broke it open in the fourth, starting with a single by Ashley Klein followed by the same from Sonnenfeld, Ranger and Johnson. The rout was on after Heather Hovlandís 3-run blast put the Vikings up 8-1. A walk, an error and singles by Desiree Nelson and Klein made it 10-1 in the fifth. The game ended in the sixth under the 10-run rule when Nelson singled and scored on a single by Graff.Seven Vikings had two hits each and Sonnenfeld and Hovland each had three RBI. Maggie Johnson pitched a two-hitter to pick up the win. She also had two hits and two RBI.

Earlier in the week, Foley blanked the Vikings 10-0 in five innings.
Up next: May 12 at Milaca, 5 p.m.; May 17 at Princeton, 5 p.m.

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