Above: Freshman Kale Boomer coming home after some exciting base-stealing action. Right: Sophomore Dylan Quaife had a good game on both sides of the ball on Tuesday, April 27, at bat and starting on the mound.
The Cook County baseball team lost two closely contested games this past week. On Tuesday, April 27, the Vikings lost a tough one-run game at home in the final inning to the McGregor Mercs, 10-9. On Saturday, May 1, Cook County traveled to Ely and lost 10-7 in a contest where the Timberwolves rallied for four runs in the sixth inning. The Vikings are now 4-4 on the season.
Against McGregor, sophomore Dylan Quaife started on the mound for Cook County and looked brilliant in the first three innings. Quaife struck out five hitters and used only 44 pitches to keep the Mercs scoreless.
In the bottom of the first, the Vikings scored twice as senior Drew Holmen hit an RBI single to score teammate James Groth, who led the game off with a walk. Senior Darryl Hansen then hit an RBI double to score Holmen as the Vikings took an early 2-0 lead.
Cook County added another run in the second inning when Jesse Johnson scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Groth. The Vikings 3-0 lead would last until the top of the fourth inning.
McGregor started off the fourth inning with a short infield hit. A costly Viking error now had Mercs on first and second base with no outs. Quaife would then get two groundouts to keep the Mercs on first and second. McGregor would go on to collect six consecutive two-out hits to score six runs in the inning for a 6-3 lead.
The Vikings’ Will Petty scored a run in the bottom of the fourth on a Johnson RBI single. The Vikings now trailed by just two, 6-4.
In the top of the fifth, the Mercs went up against senior ace Darryl Hansen. Hansen struggled a bit with control, however, as McGregor took advantage of three free passes to score three runs and take a 9-4 lead.
After the Vikings were held scoreless in the fifth inning, Groth took the mound in the sixth. Groth got three quick outs and the Vikings went back to work at the plate.
Freshman Kale Boomer started things off with a single. Boomer then stole second base and promptly scored on a McGregor fielding error by the shortstop on the next play. Following a Viking out, the Vikings got back-to-back singles from Petty and Johnson. After a Groth groundout advanced both runners, Jacob Rude came through with a two-out double to score both runners. Rude scored on a Holmen single and the Vikings were within one after six innings of play, 9-8.
A leadoff single by the Mercs in the top of the seventh proved costly, as the runner advanced to third moments later when an attempted pickoff move to first turned into a two-base error. Another fielding error led to a McGregor run and a 10-8 Merc advantage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Quaife started things off with a single. Boomer then hit into a fielder’s choice taking Quaife off the base paths. Boomer then stole another base on the next pitch. Following a Viking strikeout, Petty came through with his fourth single of the game to score Boomer and bring the Vikings to within one, 10-9. Pinch runner Luke Fenwick then stole both second and third base, but was unable to score as a Cook County strikeout ended the Vikings’ rally.
TheVikings had great performances from Will Petty (four hits), Jesse Johnson (three hits), and Holmen (three hits and two RBIs). Unfortunately, three fielding errors and some base running mistakes hurt in a closely contested Polar League match-up.
In Ely, the Vikings took a 2-0 lead when Rude and Holmen both scored. Rude scored on a wild pitch that was followed by a Hansen single to score Holmen.
The Timberwolves answered in the bottom of the second inning when they scored six runs on four hits and two free passes. A costly fielding error didn’t help, as Ely took a 6-2 lead.
Following scoreless third and fourth innings, Cook County’s Jesse Johnson led off the fifth with a walk. Groth then ripped a triple to score Johnson. Rude followed with a single to score Groth and the Vikings were now trailing by just two, 6-4.
Ely was unable to put anything together in the fifth and the Vikings were back to the plate in the top of the sixth. After Boomer was a hit by a pitch, he stole second base before a Viking strikeout. A groundout scored Boomer and emptied the base paths for the Vikings. With two outs, Johnson was hit by a pitch and Groth was walked. Both stole bases and scored on an Ely fielding error in left field as the Vikings captured a 7-6 lead halfway through the sixth inning.
The Timberwolves would answer, however, with a twoout rally in the bottom of the sixth. After two groundouts, Ely would score four runs, taking advantage of a costly fielding error by the Vikings. Cook County couldn’t mount a comeback in the seventh, as the Timberwolves won 10-7.
The Vikings are now 4-4 on the season and have a busy week ahead. Cook County plays on Monday, May 3 in Silver Bay, Tuesday in Moose Lake, and then Thursday in Esko. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
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