Viking first baseman Joe Deschampe stretches to make the play on this ball thrown by the Vikings’ shortstop. Deschampe has been a “big cat” on first base for the Vikings, making one athletic play after another on balls that would get by many kids playing the position. Staff photo/Laurie Johnson
For the second year in a row the Carlton Bulldogs defeated the Cook County Vikings baseball team in the first round of the subsections.
On Tuesday, May 28 the Vikings fell 4-3.
The 6-10 Bulldogs defeated the 7-10 Silver Bay Mariners 4-3 earlier in the day at Wade Stadium in Superior, Wisconsin.
Against the Vikings Carlton took a one-run lead in the first inning. Andrew Miller was on the mound for the Vikings and struck out the first batter he faced. He walked the next batter and gave up a single to left field. Batter number four went down on strikes and with two outs and two runners on, Carlton scored a run on an error on a hard hit grounder to first base which brought home Tanner Anderson to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Miller notched his third strikeout as the batter was caught looking to get out of the inning.
Tristen Bockovich doubled in the second, driving in Connor Somnis to knot the game 1-1.
In the bottom of the fourth with two outs Tristen Bockovich hit a grounder to the Carlton second baseman who fumbled it, allowing Dillon Sjogren to score, which gave the Vikings a 2-1 lead going into the fifth.
Back-to-back singles by Carlton hitters Justin Swanson and Joseph Solomon resulted in a run to tie the score 2-2. A single by Kaleb Siilter on a hard-hit ground ball to Viking third baseman Cameron Roy brought in another run, putting Carlton in the lead, 3-2.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Joe Deschampe ran home on a wild pith to once again tie the score.
Neither team scored in the sixth, but Carlton put a runner across the plate in the top of the 7th to take a 4-3 lead with no outs. Andrew Miller fielded a ground ball hit by Austin Parker and turned a double play, stepping on second base and throwing to Joe Deschampe to catch the runner. Bockovich struck out the next batter to record the third out and the Vikings had one last chance to tie the game or win it outright.
In the bottom of the seventh Andrew Miller lined out to the pitcher, Cameron Roy struck out swinging on a 2-2 count and Aram Falter hit a grounder to the shortstop who threw to first to end the game.
Carlton’s Kaden Crane was the winning pitcher. He struck out three, allowing four hits over seven innings and giving up three runs.
Miller pitched two and a third innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out five and walking one. Tristen Bockovich relieved Miller, allowing seven hits and giving up three runs over four and two-thirds innings. Bockovich finished with seven strikeouts and was the losing pitcher.
Four Vikings each got one hit, Tristen Bockovich, Cameron Roy, Josh Prom and Connor Somnis.
Carlton’s Kaleb Siilter led all hitters by going 3-for-4.
The loss dropped the Vikings’ record to 12-4, but it didn’t end their season. Because the Vikings are the top rated team in the section and received a bye, they get to play in the loser’s bracket on Thursday, May 30, at Hibbing’s Bennett Park after the paper has been put to bed. Teams have made it to the state tournament through this bracket, and it’s time the Vikings got on another long win streak and got there as well.
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