The North Branch Vikings will venture away from home to square off against the North Polars at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. North Branch will be strutting in after a win while North will be coming in after a defeat.
North Branch took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with an 8-4 victory over Rock Ridge co-op [Eveleth-Gilbert/Virginia]. The win was some much needed relief for the Vikings as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.

Ben Herges
| 05/15/26 vs Rock Ridge co-op [Eveleth-Gilbert/Virginia] | 2 |
| 04/20/26 @ Zimmerman | 1 |
| 04/10/26 @ St. Francis | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Becker | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Ben Herges, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Clayton Nephew, who went 3-for-4 with one triple and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: North Branch kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, North was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They lost 11-3 to White Bear Lake.
North's defeat dropped their record down to 3-17. As for North Branch, their victory bumped their record up to 3-13.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps