The Anoka-Ramsey Golden Rams began their post-Florida season on Tuesday, winning two of their three games at M Health Fairview Dome in Blaine against Bay College, Dakota Bottineau, and Mesabi Range.
The Golden Rams started early, as first pitch between the Golden Rams and the Bay College Norseman was scheduled for 7:30AM. The Golden Rams took an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning and ultimately never looked back, not allowing a hit until the last inning. Starting pitcher Molly Gross recorded nine strikeouts while allowing just six hits. She moves to 2-2 on the year with the win. The Golden Rams also impressed at the plate. Lyla Galli was 3-4, recording her first home run of the year with two RBIs. Marissa Kerry was 2-4 with a double and two RBIs. Emma Bright was 2-4 with a triple and a stolen base, and Hailey Babcock was 2-4 with a double and two stolen bases. The Golden Rams dominated Bay College 11-1 after scoring six runs in the top of the seventh. With the win, the Golden Rams moved to 5-7 on the year.
The second game pitted the Golden Rams against the Ladyjacks of Dakota College at Bottineau. The Golden Rams scored quick and early in the top of the 1st, but success from the plate remained elusive for the remainder of the game. The Golden Rams struggled mightily at the plate against Dakota College at Bottineau's starting pitcher. Hailey Babcock stayed hot, going 3-4 with two doubles and two stolen bases. Emma Bright was also 2-3 with three stolen bases. Starting pitcher Lyla Galli played well despite ultimately recording the loss. She struck out four while allowing eight hits. She moves to 1-4 on the year following the loss. The Golden Rams battled back in the top of the seventh to tie the game and force extra innings, but the Ladyjacks would score quickly in the bottom of the eighth, taking down the Golden Rams 3-2 in eight innings. The Golden Rams fell to 5-8 on the season following their loss.
The final game saw the Golden Rams take on Mesabi Range. The Golden Rams started slow, as they were unable to score in the first, and allowed Mesabi Range to take a 1-0 lead into the second. The Golden Rams got it going from the plate in the bottom of the second, scoring six runs on three 2 RBI-doubles. However, after a number of defensive mistakes, Mesabi Range battled back in the third, scoring 5 to tie the game at 6. Anoka Ramsey answered, going 10-7 in the bottom of the fifth and ultimately winning 13-8. At the plate, some of the usual suspects impressed again: Emma Bright was 3-5 with two stolen bases, Sunny Strait was 3-5 with two doubles and four RBIs, and Hailey Babcock was 1-4 and had two stolen bases. Starting pitcher Sunny Strait, despite struggling a bit, recorded the win, striking out six while allowing 11 hits. She moves to 3-2 on the year with the win. Molly Gross, after her win earlier, came in as relief and struck out six while allowing just one hit to earn the save. It was a great all-around game for the Golden Rams to close the day after struggling in their second game of the day. The Golden Rams improved to 6-8 after their win.
The Golden Rams finished the day 2-1, with their only loss being a one-run loss in eight innings. Anoka-Ramsey will return to the M Health Fairview Dome again on Friday for scheduled games against Central Lakes College-Brainerd, Rainy River Community College, and Ridgewater College. Although they would have liked to win all three games, Coach Dave Alto was still happy to pick up two wins, noting that the team continues to get better and repeating that the season is a marathon and not a sprint.
-Story written by Nick Balmanno, Athletics Intern