Joe Drennan
Sports EditorThe Forest Lake High School baseball teamís season came to an abrupt end when Chisago Lakes scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of a section 7AAA playoff game.
ìThe season certainly didnít end the way we wanted it to, but thatís sports,î Forest Lake head coach Brian Raabe said. ìItís about starting off new, weíre 0-0 on the year right now.î
With a number of players returning, Forest Lake coach Brian Raabe is optimistic about how the team will do this season.
ìItíll be a very interesting year like every other year,î Raabe said. ìIf we have solid pitching and good defense weíll do well this year.î
On the mound, Ross Miller and Zach Torenson will be Forest Lakeís two aces, followed by Brian Welch and captain Paul Miron who will also toss a few strikes.
ìWeíve got some pitchers that can get the ball over the plate and if we can do that and throw strikes weíll have a decent year,î Raabe said.
On the defensive end, the infield will be anchored by captain Steve Carlisle at first base, followed by second baseman Bobby Hager, and shortstop Brian Welch when heís not pitching. Patrick Fogerty and Miron will patrol the outfield.
With the season just starting, there are a few players that step up and fill the gaps left by seniors from the previous seasonís team.
ìEvery year you have some that step in and play well,î Raabe said. ìYou have to see how they play.î
Raabe says that Chris Conley could step in and play center field and Nate Conley could get some time in right field. Another player that could step up and make an impact is Jet Hansen. Hansen lives in the Forest Lake school district, but is home schooled. State high school rules require home schooled students to sit out 10 games before they play.
ìHe can catch, pitch, all sorts of different things,î Raabe said. ìHeíll be an interesting player and weíll have to see how things work out with him.î
No players position is set in stone though. With the season still getting underway, Raabe says things can certainly change and different players can move into key positions.
ìWeíll play the kids, see how they react, see who can hit the ball and who can catch the ball,î Raabe said. ìThen after a few games see where people will be.î
At the plate, Fogerty, Carlisle, Miron and Bobby Hager will be the players Raabe relies on to get most of the offensive production for Forest Lake.
ìWe need more players that we can rely on,î Raabe said. ìWe never know from year to year who we can rely on and you need all nine players to rely on to get you hits.î
Competition
Forest Lake plays in one of the toughest conferences in the state. Last season the Suburban East Conference was so tough that three teams took claim to conference champions when Stillwater, Park (Cottage Grove) and Mounds View all finished in a tie for first.
ìOur conference is notoriously a very strong conference and tough to compete in,î Raabe said. ìYouíll see most of the teams in our conference do well in their sections too as most are in different sections.î
All three of the defending conference champions suffered losses to graduation, and other SEC schools White Bear Lake and Woodbury will have new coaches for the 2004 season.
In Section 7AAA, Forest Lake hopes to be at the top of the section, but until the season gets underway they wonít know exactly how they stack up against the rest of the section.
ìYou never know from year to year whoís going to be strong,î Raabe said. ìThatís the fun thing about high school sports, what looks good on paper doesnít always pan out on the field.î
Raabe expects Chisago Lakes, the team that beat them last year in the Section 7AAA playoffs, to be a strong team again this season. Apart from Chisago Lakes, Raabe believes Elk River will be another strong opponent that will test the strength of Forest Lake.
Season Opener
Forest Lake had their season opener on the road when they traveled to Chisago Lakes in a rematch of last seasonís Section 7AAA playoff game.
Chisago Lakes looked shaky in the top half of the first inning as their pitcher hit three Forest Lake batters. A sacrifice fly by Steve Carlisle scored the first Forest Lake run of the season. In the bottom half of the inning Miller took a few pitches to find the strike zone, but was able to end the inning without giving up a hit or a run.
Forest Lake added another run in the second inning and that was all they needed as they beat Chisago Lakes 2-1.
ìRoss [Miller] didnít give up any hits, but he walked seven guys,î Raabe said. ìWhen he starts throwing consistent strikes heíll be very effective for us.î
Miller was back on the mound Monday afternoon when Forest Lake faced North Branch. Miller pitched 41/3 innings, striking out eight while walking six and hitting one batter.
ìWhen Ross Miller throws strikes he can be a dominant pitcher,î Raabe said. ìHeís got a chance to have a very, very, good year.î
Zack Lund came on in relief for 12/3 innings where he struck out three and walked one. Miron finished the last inning where he retired the side. In all the three pitchers combined for a 7-1 victory and combined no-hitter.
ìWe walked eight guys and hit one batter,î Raabe said. ìMany days that will come back to haunt us but yesterday it didnít. Now weíre 2-0 and weíre very happy to be 2-0.î
Offensively, Miron went 4-4 with two home runs and a triple. Fogerty and Carlisle both went 2-4, and Chris Conley went 1-2 with a squeeze play bunt where he reached base.
ìHitting was a little bit better in this game,î Raabe said. ìWe had more timely hitting.î
Forest Lakeís next game is Saturday when they host Duluth Central at Schumacher Field at noon.
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