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Sections arrive as softball team peaks
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Wednesday, 21 May 2008
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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
Ever since the Forest Lake softball team figured out a way to stop its three-game slide, the Rangers have been playing at a high level that launched them to six wins over their final seven regular season games.
Forest Lake won its fifth straight on May 14, with a 7-2 victory over Cretin-Derham Hall, and then had to deal with Hastings and some unfinished business, before closing out against Minnetonka.
When the Rangers were at Hastings back in April, their contest was suspended in the seventh inning due to weather, with the score tied 2-2.
Prior to the regularly scheduled Hastings game at Forest Lake on Thursday, May 15, the two Suburban East Conference opponents addressed that incomplete matchup.
In the top of the ninth, Cheree Franklin opened with a single, which brought in Mikki Modjeski as a pinch runner.
“Ashleigh Matheson then sacrifice bunted her to second,” head coach Angie Ryan shared, which was followed by an Alyssa Dunrud bunt down the third base line.
“This caught the Hastings defense off guard and they didn’t have anyone covering first when the throw was made,” Ryan added.
Modjeski scored easily in what proved to be the 3-2 game-winner.
Dunrud was the starting pitcher, and she gave up 10 hits in nine innings of work.
On the offensive side, Sammy Holien ended the super-extended game with three hits, including two doubles, while scoring two of Forest Lake’s three runs.
Once that was in the books, it was time for a rematch, where Franklin and Dunrud ended up splitting the pitching duties.
Despite the Rangers getting out to an early lead, they would only score once in the first inning, collect a total of just three hits, and go on to lose, 4-1.
“Finishing the first game and getting the win was very important and I was happy with our effort to push a run across and play solid defense,” Ryan said.
“Our bats were extremely quiet today, hopefully they wake up by tomorrow.”
One more win
Forest Lake’s regular season wrapped up against Minnetonka, who they were supposed to face back on May 6, but poor weather soaked those plans as well.
On Friday, May 16, the Rangers followed their script and scored in the first inning, but not before they had two outs.
“Kathy Crudo drilled a triple and Krystal Plouff knocked her in with a bloop single,” Ryan said.
In the third inning, Matheson got it going with a single, and she was brought home by a Lexi Alm triple.
Alm struck again in the sixth, with an impressive solo home run to bring the score to its 3-0 conclusion.
“I’ve never seen a home run hit at our field by any team in a game during my playing career, or in coaching the past four years,” Ryan noted. “That was a lot of fun!”
Franklin pitched the five-hit shutout, with the defense turning in a quality effort.
Alm was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI; Crudo was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a triple; and Matheson was 2-for-2, which also included a triple.
“This was a solid effort to come back after a frustrating game last night,” Ryan said.
“I’m proud to be a part of this team. We’ll be practicing hard in preparation for the section tournament and achieving our big goal of getting to the state tournament.”
Forest Lake (13-7, 9-7) received a bye in the first round of the Section 7AAA playoffs. They face the Duluth Central/Andover winner on Saturday, May 24, in Duluth.
Box Score
Cretin 100 010 0—2 3 4
Rangers 310 300 x—7 12 3
Dunrud, Burmeister (7) and Skogen. W—Dunrud (5-4). Highlights—FL, Sam Holien, 3-4, 2 runs, RBI; Lexi Alm, 3-3, run, RBI.
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