Softball Game Preview: Forest Lake Rangers vs. Park Wolfpack

Forest Lake and Park are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Rangers will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Wolfpack at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated (Forest Lake has three wins , while Park has eight dating back to last season).

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Forest Lake and White Bear Lake meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Rangers narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Bears 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Rangers have posted against the Bears since May 19, 2018.

Avery Muellner

Batters Struck Out

04/09/25 @ White Bear Lake	11
04/08/25 @ Stillwater	13
04/04/25 @ Cretin-Derham Hall	8

Avery Muellner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on six hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, Maija Kunshier was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Park won against Roseville on Wednesday with 12 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Everything went the Wolfpack's way against Benilde-St. Margaret's as they made off with a 12-1 win. Fans of the Wolfpack have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.

Forest Lake pushed their record up to 3-0 with the victory, which was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Park, their victory bumped their record up to 3-0.

Everything went Forest Lake's way against Park when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Forest Lake made off with a 10-4 win. Will the Rangers repeat their success, or do the Wolfpack have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.