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By Steve Morris
 In the Vikings first four games of the season, they won nearly half as many games as they did all last season.
Right: North Branch sophomore catcher Kyle Grote stretches to catch a ball heading home while pitcher Danny Ginal, background, is there for backup.
Things started off somewhat at a turtles pace as the boys lost their first game of the season in a lopsided score against the Irondale Knights. But since then, the team has slowly improved.
On April 19, the boys upset Duluth East 10-9. (Last season, the Vikings lost to the Greyhounds 1-8.)
Irondale
With wind gusts that seemed as if they might uproot the bullpen, the boys lost to Knights 4-12 on April 15.
In the second inning, senior Tony Dahlberg hit a leadoff home run to the center field. Head coach Steve Christensen said it was a great hi.
“Once it left the bat, I knew it was gone, he’s worked hard and played a lot of baseball; I’m glad for him," Christensen said.
In the 4th inning, down 7-1, the boys bats started going as they tallied two runs to slice the lead to 7-3. Dan Ginal, Dahlberg each hit back-to-back lead-off walks and advanced on a high infield chopper off the bat of Drew Lundquist.
Cole Willcoxen drove the two seniors home on a base hit to right field.
All of which set up a high, drama sixth inning as the Vikings attempted to make one more stab at the Knights.
With the bases loaded and one out, the boys were unable to make it happen and lost.
The Vikings managed to get picked off four times in the game.
“Irondale played well, they have had some more experience outside so far this season, as this was their third game, but there were things that we didn’t do that put the game out of reach,” Christensen said.
Totino-Grace
For their first home game of the season, the boys hosted the Totino-Grace Eagles and lost 5-7.
The boys had their chances to win but were unable to close out the game.
For the second consecutive game, Dahlberg hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the boys a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth inning, with the scored knotted at two, the Vikings had an opportunity to break the game wide-open. The bases were loaded with nobody out, yet the Vikings didn't score a run.
In the fifth inning, the boys tied the score at five. Junior Chad Anderson lead off with a single and Casey Doten reached base on a sacrifice bunt, turned hit. Ginal grounded out, moving the runners in scoring position and Drew Lundquist singled to send in two runs. It was all the gas the boys had left as their defense allowed two runs to let the game slip out of reach.
Ginal was the starting pitcher for the North Branch and took the loss.
At first glance, the score seems like a low-scoring football contest, but it was actually the Vikings slugging it out against the Duluth East Greyhounds.
On April 19, the boys won, 10-9.
The heroics came in the seventh inning. Down 9-8, Lundquist drove in a bases loaded full-count single to score Dan Schoess and Eric Berggren to win the game.
“Drew has been hitting the ball hard and he’s starting to find some green grass,” Christensen said. “A game like this shows it ain’t over, ‘till it’s over.”
Willcoxen was the winning pitcher.
“Cole pitched better than the nine runs on the scoreboard say. He hit his sports early ... he had command of his pitchers ... and he hit his spots.”
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