Cook County softball had a busy week with the Vikings playing four games in four days. Left: Brea Boomer catches a pop fly for an out in the Tuesday, April 20 game against the Silver Bay Mariners at the Grand Marais Rec. Park field. Above: Taryn Logan at bat against powerhouse Mariner pitcher Kirstin Sandstrom.
The Cook County softball team had a busy week of softball, playing four games in four days. TheVikings faced a wealth of tough opponents as they came up short against Silver Bay, 13-1; Two Harbors, 9-3; Barnum, 22-1; and then suffered a heartbreaking loss to Duluth Marshall, 14-13. The Vikings are now 2-6 on the season.
Silver Bay
On Tuesday, April 20, the Vikings played at home versus the Silver Bay Mariners. Thestory of the game for Cook County was a lack of hitting. Mariner ace Kirstin Sandstrom gave up two hits and one run in the game for Silver Bay.
In the first inning the Mariners scored three runs on four hits and two Viking fielding errors. After three straight Viking outs, the Mariners added another run in the top of the second inning for an early 4-0 lead.
Cook County’s Kristina Rude led off the bottom of the second inning by getting hit with a pitch. She then stole second base. Following a Viking strikeout, Rude advanced to third on a Viking groundout. Up next, Chelsey Sorenson hit a twoout single to score Rude. It would be the only RBI of the game for Cook County.
In the next three innings, the Mariners added nine more runs on 10 hits. Cook County brought only nine hitters to the plate as Sandstrom dominated on the mound for Silver Bay. The Vikings were on the wrong end of a 13-1 score.
Two Harbors
Two days later, the Vikings faced both the Two Harbors’ Agates and Barnum Bombers in Two Harbors. In the first game, the Vikings faced the Agates.
Following a scoreless first, the Vikings struck first in the top of the second. Sorenson was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a Taryn Logan sacrifice bunt. Freshman CeCe Schnobrich then came through with a single to put runners on the corners with just one out. After Schnobrich stole second base, an eighth grader Anna Carman had an RBI single to score Sorenson. Schnobrich then scored on a Signe Larson groundout and the Vikings took a 2-0 lead.
While the Vikings were unable to score in the third and fourth innings, the Agates scored eight runs on seven hits and three walks. Two Harbors now had an 8-2 lead entering the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth, Brea Boomer and Carly Puch started things off with back-to-back singles. Sammy Jacobsen then hit into a fielder’s choice that took Boomer off the base paths. With Puch and Jacobsen on first and second, Rude came through with an RBI single to score Puch. While unable to score in the fifth, the Vikings were within five runs, 8-3, with two innings to play.
The Agates added a run in the sixth and the Vikings only managed to get one more hit in the final two innings as they dropped the game to Two Harbors, 9-3. Rude had two hits for the Vikings in the loss.
Barnum
After a tough loss to the Agates, the Vikings had the joy of taking on the Polar League power Barnum Bombers. The Bombers entered the game with a 6-0 record having only given up five runs in six contests.
Three innings into the game, Cook County found itself in a deep hole, 15-0. In the top of the fourth, the Vikings scrambled to score when Puch was hit by a pitch with one out. Following a Viking strikeout, a hardhit ball by Rude got by Barnum’s second baseman, driving in Puch and giving Cook County its only RBI of the game. TheVikings lost to Barnum, 22-1.
Duluth Marshall
After a long day of softball the night before in Two Harbors, the Vikings traveled to Duluth to take on the Marshall Hilltoppers. Boomer started the game with a leadoff single. She then stole second and third base. With two outs and Boomer still on third, Rude ripped an RBI single to score Boomer. TheHilltoppers, however, scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Schnobrich led off the second inning when she hit a ball to second base that wasn’t fielded cleanly. Following a Schnobrich stolen base, Logan came through with an RBI single. After a fly-out and a Larson walk, Boomer drew a walk to load the bases. Senior Carly Puch then hit a triple for three RBIs. Jacobsen followed with an RBI double. After a Viking groundout, Sorenson came through with an RBI single before the Hilltoppers got out of the inning. TheVikings now had a 7-3 lead.
The Hilltoppers proved to be a tough out as well, scoring four runs in the second inning to tie the game 7-7.
Following scoreless third and fourth innings, Sorenson again came through when her RBI single scored Rude who had earlier reached base on a Marshall fielding error. The Vikings now had a one-run lead, 8-7.
In the top of the sixth, the Vikings scored four runs, highlighted by Schnobrich’s double to give Cook County a 12-7 lead. Duluth Marshall answered, however, with a huge fiverun inning in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, 12-12.
Signe Larson started off the seventh inning with a single. Larson advanced to second on a Boomer groundout. Following a stolen base, Larson scored on an RBI groundout by Puch. The Vikings led 13-12 with just the bottom of the seventh to play.
Marshall started the inning with a leadoff walk and then hit a double to tie the game 13-13. A walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases for Marshall. A single followed to score the winning run as the Vikings lost a heartbreaker, 14-13.
Logan had a great all-around game, going three for four with a run scored. Larson was also great at the plate, going two for three and scoring three runs. Puch had four RBIs in a tough loss for the senior.
The Vikings are now 2-6 on the season. Cook County played at home against McGregor on Tuesday, April 27 after this edition went to press. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
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