Far left: Andrew Miller is in full wind up as he pitches against Floodwood. Miller, an eighth-grader, gave up 3 hits but struck out two as he came in and pitched the 7th inning for the Vikings. Above: Travis Bradley applies a tag to a Floodwood runner. Left: Center fielder Owen Anderson checks a runner at second before throwing home.
The Cook County Vikings traveled to Two Harbors on April 10 to face the Silver Bay Mariners and the Two Harbors Agates.
Vikings sink Mariners
First up for the Vikings was their nearest North Shore rival, the Silver Bay Mariners.
Jaret Baker pitched seven strong innings for the Vikings against the Mariners, leading his team to a 15-5 win.
Silver Bay scored 2 runs in the first and the Vikings followed with 5 in the third, 5 in the fourth, 3 in the fifth, and 2 in the sixth while Silver Bay could only manage one run in the fourth inning and two more runs in the fifth inning.
Owen Anderson was 3-4 at the plate while Travis Bradley was 3-3, Leo Johnson was 2-4 and Jamie Wick was 1-2.
All told the Vikings had 9 hits and walked 8 times. Baker held the Mariners to 4 hits while striking out 5.
“Jaret pitched outstanding for us,” said Head Coach Arleigh Jorgenson. “This was a good win for the boys. They played well throughout the game.”
Vikings fall to Agates
Next up the Vikings faced the Two Harbors Agates and played an exciting game, although they fell short 3-1.
Two Harbors scored the first run of the game in the second inning. The Vikings knotted the contest when they scored a run of their own in the third inning off an Owen Anderson triple and an RBI single by Travis Bradley.
Leo Johnson pitched against Two Harbors and threw well all night.
Tied 1-1 in the sixth inning, Two Harbors took the lead for good when a runner received a base on a walk and then another runner reached base on an error. That set up Daniel Anderson who pushed two runs across the plate on a single.
Cook County had more than its share of chances to score in the top of the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1. With one out and the bases loaded the Vikings left the runners on base when they couldn’t generate any firepower with their bats.
“This is a game the kids felt they should have won,” Jorgenson said. “We had plenty of opportunities. The kids were disappointed in themselves. They knew it was theirs to win and let it slip away.”
Although the Vikings rode the strong pitching of Leo Johnson, Agates pitcher Tim Botts was a little better, going 7 innings while holding the Vikings to one run off of 6 hits while striking out two and walking four. Johnson gave up 7 hits while striking out 7.
Junior center fielder Owen Anderson led the Viking with two hits, one a triple and stole two bases.
Rounding it out in a battle with Floodwood
The Vikings played the Floodwood Polar Bears at home on April 14, losing 7-3 in what Coach Jorgenson said was “an ugly game,” which the coaches expect to see in the early season, he said.
“Neither team fielded the ball well. There were a lot of misplays by both teams,” said Jorgenson.
Rory Bakke was on the mound for the Vikings and Jorgenson liked what he saw from his junior pitcher. “Rory pitched really well. He only gave up three hits but he was done in by errors.”
Floodwood scored one run in each of the first three innings off of errors. Jamie Wick doubled in the second inning and he was driven in by Leo Johnson to give the Vikings their first run. The Vikings scored one run in the third and one in the fourth when Bakke reached first on a single and Travis Bradley drove him in with a double. That’s when the Vikings ran into some base stealing trouble.
“Travis was picked off when he tried to steal third. He jumped too early and was caught. Jack Wieben got on base with a single and then he was picked off trying to steal second. These are mistakes we will learn from,” Coach Jorgenson said.
The Polar Bears scored their fourth run in the fifth inning on another error and scored again in the sixth inning when they got an earned run on a base on balls and a hit.
Eighth-grader Andrew Miller came in and pitched in the seventh inning in relief of Bakke. Andrew gave up two singles and a double but he also recorded two strikeouts. Jorgenson was impressed. “Andrew did a good job for us coming in for Bakke,” he said.
The Vikings recorded 10 hits and struck out seven times while Floodwood only got five hits but walked, as Jorgenson said, “too many times.”
“Errors just killed us in this game,” Jorgenson said.
The Vikings go on the road for a couple of games before returning home on April 23 to face the Two Harbors Agates again. It should be an exciting rematch. The game starts at 4 p.m. Come out and cheer for your Vikings!
Leave a Reply