Senior Samantha Jacobsen got the Vikings on the board in the second inning of the home game on Friday, April 9. Jacobsen made the Vikings’ first homerun of the season.
The Cook County softball team started the season on the road in Cromwell on Thursday, April 8. After a decisive 19-2 win on Thursday, the Vikings played the next day at home against the Two Harbors Agates. Playing on little rest, Cook County lost to the Agates 2-14.
Despite the long bus trip to Cromwell, the Vikings started strong in the first inning against the Cardinals. Cromwell helped the situation by issuing four straight walks to start the game. Two fielding errors compounded Cromwell’s misery as the Vikings jumped to an early 6-0 lead before the Cardinals retired the next three Cook County batters.
Senior ace Carly Puch took the mound for the Vikings and looked sharp. After a fielding error started off the game, Puch got three straight groundouts to keep the Cardinals off the board.
Junior centerfielder Brea Boomer led off the top half of the second inning with a triple. Shortstop Kristina Rude followed with an RBI single, scoring Boomer to extend the Viking lead to 7-0. Chelsey Sorenson was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Right fielder Sammy Jacobsen lined a double into left-center field scoring two more Vikings and extending the Cook County lead to 9-0.
Three more Cardinal fielding errors led to two more runs as Jacobsen and CeCe Schnobrich both scored to give the Vikings an 11-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Puch struck out two of three batters she faced and Cook County was right back to the plate.
Boomer led off the third inning by reaching base on a Cromwell fielding error. She promptly stole second and third base. Boomer scored on Rude’s groundout and the Vikings had a 12-0 lead. Puch continued to impress on the mound by once again striking out two of the three batters she faced to keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard.
The Vikings scored seven more runs in the fourth inning, taking a decisive 19-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Cromwell scored twice, but the damage was done as the Vikings won 19-2 in just five innings of play.
Boomer was two for three, reached base in all four plate appearances, and scored three runs for the Vikings. Puch looked good on the mound, giving up only two runs on two hits.
Home at the Rec Park
The next day at 4:00 p.m. the Vikings were at home in the Grand Marais Recreation Park against North Shore rival Two Harbors. The veteran Agates were sharp from the start and a newly assembled Viking lineup made too many critical fielding errors with Agate runners on base.
After a leadoff single by the Agates, a stolen base and a groundout had an Agate runner on third base with one out. A walk had runners on the corners for Two Harbors. Two hits and a fielding error later, the Viking found themselves down 4-0.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Boomer led things off for the Vikings with a single and a stolen base. Boomer was gunned out by Agate catcher Sasha Fjeran at third base. A Viking strikeout closed the first inning with the Vikings still down by four runs.
In the second inning, the Agates’ leadoff hitter reached base on a Viking fielding error. The error cost Cook County a run as Two Harbors only managed a sacrifice bunt and two groundouts, but that is all they needed to add another run and increase their lead to five, 0-5.
Senior Sammy Jacobsen got the Vikings on the board in the second inning with a deep smash over the Agates’ centerfielder. Jacobsen turned on the boosters, scoring the Vikings’ first homerun of the season. While Cook County didn’t score again in the second, Jacobsen’s homerun was a lift for the Vikings who now trailed by four, 1-5.
The Agates went back to work in the third, as the first two hitters reached base on a single and walk respectively. The Vikings made a critical fielding error at the wrong time which allowed another Agate run. After a fly-out to Boomer, a sharply hit double scored another Agate run. Following a groundout to short, the Agates scored again on a two-out single to take a 1-9 lead.
After a scoreless third inning for the Vikings, the Agates added five more runs in the top of the fourth by adding two hits to two walks and two Vikings fielding errors. The Vikings were down 1-15.
Sorenson started a twoout rally for the Vikings in the bottom half of the fourth inning with a single. Sorenson advanced to second on a passed ball. Schnobrich got an RBI when she hit a grounder to the shortstop who threw to third base in an attempt to throw out Sorenson. Theball got by the third baseman and Sorenson scored on the play. The Vikings trailed 2-15 after four innings of play.
Neither team scored again as the Vikings were tenrunned in five innings to bring their overall season record to 1-1. Thehighlight of the game for the Vikings was the second inning home run by Jacobsen.
The Vikings played in Carlton on Tuesday after this edition went to press. Cook County plays this Friday at home against the Babbitt Knights. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
Come cheer
our Vikes!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 4:00 PM ·
HOME (Rec. Park) vs. Silver Bay
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