The North Branch softball team knocked in six runs in the sixth inning en route to a 8-3 win over the Columbia Heights Hylanders May 9.

The Hylanders opened the scoring first by plating two runs in the top of the first. The Vikes regained their composure and got those runs back and then some for the win.

The sixth inning was the Vikings most lethal of the game. They scored six times to put the game out of reach from the Hylanders.

The Vikes were on the mark at the plate. For the game, they tallied 12 hits. Megan Aho went 3 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs and senior Megan Ranger went 2 for 4 with two RB's.

North Branch had chances the blow the game wide-open but grounded into some double plays to end the drive.

"... the girls kept at it and it paid off in the sixth," head coach Ron Trunk said.

Senior Tiffany Good pitched the complete game going the distance for the Vikes. She struck out four, walked two and gave up five hits in the outing.

"The first inning was a little shaky for us," Trunk said.

The Vikes wrote a different story in their game against Benilde-St. Margaret's May 7. Trunk called the game a "real pitchers dual" as Steph Saxe and the Knights Brittany Stuwart battled it out on the mound. In the end, it was North Branch who came up short, losing 3-1.

Neither pitcher allowed a runner past second base until the fourth inning.

The game collapsed under the Vikings in the fifth inning as the Red Knights scored all three of their runs on three singles, a double and a walk and one Viking error.

The Vikings were able to put runners in scoring positions as the game went along but were unable to capitalize on them. On the game, the Vikings had four hits and one error.

"This was a great ball game against the conference leading Red Knights," Trunk said. "Steph probably pitched her best game of the year holding BSM to just six hits."