Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

You win some, you lose some. That may be an overused phrase in the lexicon of sports and parenting, but it certainly applies to the Forest Lake baseball teamís experience in Duluth and Hermantown during the first day of the Section 7AAA Finals.

The Rangers sent their top two pitchers into Mondayís match-ups against Hibbing and St. Francis, and Trip Schultz and Jed Hanson kept the team in both games. The trouble spots were on offense where a lack of run support proved to be costly, and near-costly.

ìOur biggest problem weíve had here is weíre just not hitting very well, and thatís kind of been our Achilles heel all year,î head coach Brian Raabe said.

You win some. In game one against Hibbing, Forest Lake jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, only to fall behind 3-1 as the game wore on. When it mattered most, however, the Rangers made a desperate comeback and stole one in the bottom of the seventh.

With two outs and two runners on base, Andrew Pooch delivered a game-tying single, which set the stage for even more playoff drama. Hibbing intentionally walked Hanson in order to load the bases and that put the pressure squarely on Drew Cremisino. Or rather, what pressure?

Cremisino stepped up and hit a bases-loaded, walk-off single for the 4-3 victory. Schultz got the win and handed the ball over to Hanson for game two.

ìWe had a great pitching performance by Trip Schultz,î Raabe said. ìHe did a great job and threw the ball extremely well. He was spectacular, actually.î

You lose some. The second game against St. Francis was another pitcherís dual, as evidenced by the 2-1 final score. Once again, Forest Lake came out strong and grabbed the early lead 1-0 in the first inning, only to see that slip away to the 2-1 deficit late in the ballgame.

It may not have been deja vu all over again, but the closing act sure looked familiar. In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and runners on first and second, Cremisino would once again be the center of attention.

This time the breaks did not go in Forest Lakeís direction as he flew out to left field for the disappointing finale.

ìWe had plenty of opportunities against St. Francis,î Raabe said. ìJed pitched a whale of a ballgame and we just couldnít get that big hit. When you score one run, youíre going to be in trouble. We scored four runs, total, in two games, so weíre probably lucky to be 1-1.î

In Tuesdayís action the Rangers were scheduled to play Grand Rapids in the loserís bracket of the double elimination tournament.

ìWe have to have a lot of things go our way tomorrow (Tuesday) in order for us to come back with three wins,î Raabe concluded. ìBut you know what, it would not surprise me at all if this team could do it.î

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