Carrie Palmer gets set to throw a runner out at home plate in a recent game at the Grand Marais Recreation Park. The senior co-captain has been having a great season for the Vikings in the field and at the plate with her bat.
Alex Slanga struck out four Ely batters on her way to getting the win against the Ely Timberwolves on Saturday, May 2 in a game played at home.
Slanga pitched five innings before being replaced by a younger pitcher, said Head Coach Jessie Anderson.
“We had a big lead so we thought we could experiment a little. Ely came back and got within four runs so we were a little nervous, but it worked out.”
Hot hitting Maddy Roy went 4-5 at the plate with two doubles and collected three runs batted in (RBIs). Carrie Palmer was 3-5 with one double and three RBIs and Trace McQuatters went 3-5 with three RBIs.
Good defense against South Ridge
The Vikings traveled to Culver, Minnesota to face the South Ridge Panthers on Monday, May 4 and lost 5-1.
“We had one of our better games on defense,” said Coach Anderson. “Even though we lost, it was by far the best game we have played in a long time.”
The Vikings scored in the first inning on a walk to Palmer; a bunt by Jami Sjogren moved her to second and Roy drove Palmer home on a sharply hit ball.
“We held South Ridge scoreless in the second inning but they came back to score four runs in the third inning. That was the game. We haven’t seen a pitcher that throws as hard as South Ridge’s pitcher this year. She shut us down the rest of the way.
“One of the important things to come out of that game was the girls getting to see how effective a well executed bunt can be. We haven’t had many of those, but they are very important,” said Anderson.
Tough loss at Moose Lake/Willow River
A long bus ride on Tuesday, May 5, to Moose Lake/Willow River ended with the Vikings losing 8-0 to the Double A school.
But the Vikings lost more than the game; they lost their senior shortstop and co-captain Jami Sjogren for the season on a freak play.
Sjogren got a double in the first inning, and then was hurt in the bottom of the first when she tried to run down a player trying to get to third base.
“I was playing shortstop and I had the ball and was running to catch the base runner who dove into third base,” explained Sjogren. “We dove at the same time and I hurt my hand on the bag.”
In her next at bat Sjogren’s hand really started to hurt and she had to leave the game. The next day the Vikings’ senior co-captain learned that her hand was broken and she will need surgery.
The Lakers’ pitcher Ally Bode shut the Vikings down, recording 13 strikeouts while giving up 3 hits.
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