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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
Kind of like that phrase of when a door closes a window opens, so goes the high school baseball season.
As soon as the Forest Lake varsity team draws to its conclusion, the Legion squad opens the curtains on its schedule, ready to entertain for the summer.
Just six days after the Rangers were eliminated from the section playoffs, the boys were back in action for a Sunday doubleheader on June 8, hosting a team from Aberdeen.
South Dakota, that is.
In a two-game series that wasn’t lacking any offense, Forest Lake took Game 1 by the score of 6-5, but lost the rematch, 10-8.
“They’ve already been swinging the bats really well this summer,” Forest Lake head coach Kale Henry said.
In the opener, the hometown boys representing Post 225, were actually down 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded, Kenny Stelter knocked a single that scored three runs and gave Forest Lake the victory.
Kyle Jensen picked up the win after coming in to pitch for starter Nick Charest, who lasted four innings.
In Game 2, the boys were still hitting well, but one bad stretch in the field made the difference. Henry liked how his group battled back, but it wasn’t enough to keep Travis Evgen from taking the two-run defeat.
“They’ve played hard,” Henry said. “They never give up.”
Jensen and Kyle Young both did well at the plate, as did Mike Schultz, who collected three hits in this contest alone.
Win Over Woodbury
Last Thursday it was all about the fundamentals, as Michael Swenson was terrific on the mound, the defense was solid, and Forest Lake received some timely hitting for a 3-1 win, in what reads like a salute to Rangers head coach Brian Raabe.
Swenson allowed five hits, struck out five and walked no one.
The score was tied in the bottom of the sixth, until Forest Lake’s Brent Kolbow drove in the game-winner, and then Jensen notched an RBI of his own to bring the night to its 3-1 final.
“Michael dominated, he threw the ball really well,” Henry shared. “And when you have good defense, it always gives you a chance to win.”
After Monday’s 6-0 loss at Mahtomedi, the boys faced Park on Wednesday and head to Oakdale on Thursday, before hosting the Forest Lake Legion Baseball Tournament this weekend. Post 225 plays at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.
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