Making the stretch and great catch on first base is Emma Smith. The runner headed for first base was out on the play. Staff photo/ Laurie Johnson
The young Viking fast pitch softball team has been working hard, but wins have been hard to come by.
On Thursday, May 2, the team traveled to South Ridge to play the Panthers and fell 14-1.
Playing at home on Saturday, the team got its first win of the year, beating the Ely Timberwolves 11-10.
The score was tied 2-2 after the first inning. Cook County added three runs in the third and four in the fourth. Ely pushed across two runs in the fourth and the Vikings led 9-4 before tacking on two more in the sixth to take a commanding 11-4 lead. However, the Timberwolves rallied and scored six runs in the seventh before running out of steam.
Abby Crawford led the team by going 2-3 at the plate and driving in 3 runs. Charlotte Waver was 2-2, Alyssa Spry was 1-3, Emma Gesch went 1-2 with an RBI, and Amy Carpenter was 1-3 with an RBI.
The Vikings also reached base on nine walks and stole six bases.
Abby Crawford pitched seven innings to get the win. She faced 38 batters, striking out 10, walking nine, while giving up four hits and four earned runs.
On Monday, May 6, playing in freezing weather at the recreation park, the visiting Barnum Bombers lived up to their team name, taking a 26-2 win over the Vikings.
Emma Smith relieved Abbie Crawford in the second inning and took a very hard-smashed softball to her stomach in the fourth inning. The game was stopped to let Emma see if she could recover and stay on the mound. Despite the painful blow to her midsection, Emma remained on the hill and pitched to the end of the game, which was a great testament to her toughness.
Cook County dropped a pair of games against Two Harbors at home on Tuesday, May 7.
The Vikings lost 15-0 in the first game to the Agates that ended after five innings because of the 10-run rule. Jasmine Heikkila was the winning pitcher for Two Harbors. Toru Botts led the Agates at the plate by going 3-3 with 6 RBIs.
The Vikings fared better in game two, falling 13-3. Abbie Crawford led the team with two RBIs.
Jasmine Heikkila was credited with her second win of the day as the Agates’ pitcher.
The Vikings field a young team—one senior, three juniors, two ninth-graders, five eighth-graders, and one seventh-grader are listed on the varsity roster. If the weather ever gets nice they will be able to develop their skills more effectively by practicing outside. They have largely practiced in the gym this season and it’s hard to duplicate high fly balls and scorched ground balls as they skitter briskly along gravel into the infield.
The Vikings had games scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday this week and a mess of away games to play next week, weather providing. The game on Thursday was cancelled because of rain and snow.
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