Forest Lake is a perfect 7-0 against Irondale since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Rangers will head out on the road to square off against the Knights at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Forest Lake has six straight victories, Irondale has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Forest Lake had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Roseville on Wednesday. The Rangers put the hurt on the Raiders with a sharp 8-2 win. The Rangers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by six runs or more this season.
Annika Antonson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
Karianne Drury
| 05/07/25 @ Roseville | 2 |
| 05/06/25 @ Mounds View | 0 |
| 05/05/25 @ Park | 1 |
| 05/02/25 vs White Bear Lake | 1 |
| 04/30/25 vs East Ridge | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
At the plate, Forest Lake let Karianne Drury and Avery Muellner run wild. Drury went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Muellner went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run. That's the most runs Drury has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Ava Stenglein, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Forest Lake hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Irondale fell victim to Woodbury and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They lost 6-0 to the Royals.
Irondale saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Gillian Hansen, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Forest Lake's victory was their 15th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 9.6 runs this season. As for Irondale, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-14.
Irondale's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Forest Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Irondale, though, as they've been averaging only 2.2 strikeouts. Will Forest Lake keep running through batters, or will the Knights buck the trend?
Forest Lake beat Irondale 4-1 in their previous meeting back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rangers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
