Posted: 5/18/05
Rangers cruise to 4-0 record on the week
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Joe Drennan
Staff Writer
With the season winding down, the Forest Lake High School baseball team is gearing up for a run at the state tournament by defeating four Suburban East Conference opponents to improve their conference record to 8-3.
"The boys have been playing extremely well and I couldn't be happier," Rangers head coach Brian Raabe said.
Monday night the Rangers improved their overall record to 12-3 with a 8-0 shutout of Park (Cottage Grove) thanks to six scoreless innings from Jed Hanson on the mound. Hanson had 11 strikeouts in the game and didn't allow a hit. Zack Guttormson came on in relief in the seventh inning and relinquished the only Park (Cottage Grove) hit of the night.
Jeff Brooks went 2-3 in the game with a home run, triple and two RBI's.
Hanson pitched the Rangers to victory earlier in the week when he turned in 62?3 innings with 12 strikeouts in the Rangers 9-5 win over Stillwater last Tuesday. Bobby Hager provided the offensive power for the Rangers as he went 3-5 with an RBI.
Last Wednesday the Rangers got revenge on Mounds View, the first team to beat them this season, when they beat them 6-4. Guttormson was the winning pitcher for the Rangers as Jeff Brooks went 2-4 with a run scored and Jed Hanson went 2-3 with two runs scored. In the first meeting Mounds View won the game 1-0 thanks to a no hitter.
"It was nice to go out and get a win from them," Raabe said.
The other game of the week saw the Rangers win a close one with Roseville as the final score was 3-2. Trip Schultz pitched five innings to get the win for the Rangers.
"Roseville made two more mistakes than we did and that was the difference," Raabe said. "We hit ok, but we pitched good enough to win. In a lot of ways we won because we're a good fundamental baseball team."
Fill the ballpark
Friday night the Rangers host Woodbury at The Ballpark at Schumacher Field at 7 p.m. The Rangers have scheduled several 7 p.m. starts this season to better accommodate their fans and allow for larger crowds. The turnout so far for the evening games has been exceptional so Friday night the Rangers hope to fill the ballpark as they take on Woodbury in a game that could quite possible determine the SEC champion.
"Every game we play is big," Raabe saud. "Yes, winning the conference championship is a big thing and Friday night could be the deciding factor."
Each home game has sponsors that are giving free hotdogs to youth baseball teams. The sponsors include Premiere Appraisals, Walker Plumbing, Dressel Contracting, Stock Lumber, RT Homes, State Farm Insurance, Jerry's Kitchens, Linwood Builders, and Dan Schultz from ERA Muske. Field announcer Jeff Brooks has been supplying play by play and entertainment between innings. There has been a concession stand with all profits going back into the field to keep it one of the best fields in the Metro. Fans getting foul balls and home runs receive freezes when they return the ball as well.
"We're expecting a very big crowd and we're even bringing in extra seating," Raabe said "We're hoping we get as many people as possible there becuase the boys have worked hard all season. "
Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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