The North Branch Vikings will head out on the road to challenge the Blaine Bengals at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The last three games North Branch has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Last Tuesday, it was close, but North Branch sidestepped Cambridge-Isanti for a 5-4 win.
Hannah Bernier spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four runs (all of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than six innings every time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, North Branch's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Makayla Mihajlovich, who went 2-for-2 with two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Victoria Thurmer, who scored two runs and stole a base.
Andover typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Blaine proved too difficult a challenge. They had just enough and edged the Huskies out 3-1. The win was a breath of fresh air for Blaine as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Blaine also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Emmie Sylvia-Cochran gave up one run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Emily Vogel, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI.
North Branch's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-11-1. As for Blaine, their win bumped their record up to 13-7.
North Branch suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Blaine in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can North Branch avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
