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Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor
Heading into Monday’s game against White Bear Lake, the Forest Lake baseball team was trying to piece together a two-game win streak and also find a victory over a school that isn’t from Duluth.
Since defeating Duluth Denfeld in the season opener, the Rangers had gone on to lose five straight, and all of those were to Suburban East Conference opponents.
On Saturday, April 19, Duluth Central came down to Schumacher Field and ended up getting thumped 10-0 by Forest Lake.
“Saturday was a big win for us,” head coach Brian Raabe said. “That was huge for our team.”
During the five-game skid, the offense had been on a bit of a hiatus, but the team went for a .481 average against the Trojans, collecting 13 hits, one home run and four doubles.
On the mound, Raabe felt starter Matt Zidar cranked out a steady effort, going four innings before handing the ball over to Kyle Jensen. Zidar gave up four hits, struck out two and walked two in the abbreviated shutout.
“He deserved that one, he really did,” Raabe shared.
 Compiling 13 hits in just five innings, nearly every Ranger ended the afternoon with a slick looking box score. Alec Johnson and Travis Evgen each had three hits apiece, while Brent Kolbow went 2-for-3. Kyle Young was responsible for the home run in a game that was called because of the 10-run limit.
Prior to the offensive explosion, the Rangers suffered the consequences for leaving a few runs on the basepaths against Stillwater on April 16.
(Photo by TLC Digital Images)
LICKING HIS CHOPS: The winless White Bear Lake Bears were in town on Monday evening, and starting pitcher Michael Swenson went all seven innings, helping Forest Lake win its second straight.
In the top of the second inning, Forest Lake scored twice and had the bases loaded with one out. Instead of adding to the rally, however, the boys were ushered into the bottom half of the inning still holding the slim 2-0 lead.
“Other than Cretin, we’ve been in every game, but that’s not what it’s all about,” Raabe said. “We’re finding ways to make it tougher on ourselves.”
The two-run advantage held up until the fourth inning, when Stillwater tied it up, and then went ahead by a run in the bottom of the fifth. Forest Lake snagged its third run in the top of the sixth, but then the Ponies’ Shaun Marshall show strolled out for an encore in the bottom of the seventh.
Marshall topped off a multi-hit, three RBI day with a game-winning RBI single to give Stillwater the 4-3 win.
Raabe talked about how his club had an opportunity to bury the Ponies, but they were unable to do so in the second inning. Perhaps getting away from the great indoors will help, as Forest Lake is nearly halfway through its schedule and has practiced outdoors on just two occasions.
One day prior to the Stillwater loss, the boys were in Hastings, only to lose 4-1 after carrying a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth.
An error didn’t help the cause, and then an odd grounder hit third base and got past Corey Manning. Instead of being up 1-0, the Rangers went into the seventh down 4-1, and that was how the game would end.
This week, the boys opened with a 6-0 win over White Bear, and now head to Park on Wednesday and Roseville on Friday.
“We’ve created most of our problems,” Raabe said. “If we can clean those up we can turn this season around pretty quickly.”
In Monday’s victory, Michael Swenson got the complete game shutout as the Rangers improved to 3-5 overall.
Brent Kolbow stuffed the stat sheet, going 4-for-4, with two stolen bases and an RBI.
Box Score
White Bear 000 000 0—0 4 0
Rangers 000 042 x—6 11 0
Crossett and Schleisman; Swenson and Evgen. W—Swenson (1-1). L—Crossett. Records—FL 3-5, 1-4; WBL 0-6, 0-6.
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