Forbrook’s homer lifts Raiders by Knights

NICOLLET — With the score tied at 1-all in the third, Nicollet’s Cason Forbrook hit a ball deep into left field, crossing the outfield fence for a three-run homer.

That ended up being the difference in a nonconference softball game against Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s on Friday, as the Raiders went on to win 5-3 at Nicollet High School.

“After my first at-bat, I was a little like, ‘Oof,’” Forbrook said. “Because it was a little different from what we were seeing yesterday. We were seeing a lot of high-velocity pitches. It was definitely a little different tempo to see it coming in slower, so I knew I had to sit and wait, see it out front and hit it as hard as I possibly could.”

Leah Bode got the win in the circle for Nicollet, striking out seven while allowing six hits and three runs in a complete game. The defense behind her was strong as well, only committing two errors, something the team has been working on limiting.

“I think we did a really good job moving to the ball,” Forbrook said. “Not letting it get past us as often as we usually do. And our talking was great today. We’re a quiet team, we don’t tend to talk a lot, so I’m taking on that responsibility at first base, letting my teammates know where we’re making the plays, where we’re throwing the ball, what we’re doing with that. I think that really helped with that.”

Aside from Forbrook’s home run, Leah Bode was 2 for 3 with a run scored and a stolen base, while Chloe Kachelmeier had a double and a run scored. Zoie Rengstorf added a hit, a run scored and a stolen base.

Natalie Zarn took the loss for the Knights, striking out seven while allowing seven hits and five earned runs. At the plate, Nell Weiss was 2 for 4 with an RBI, while Reese Hoffmann was 1 for 3 with an RBI and Addie Hoffmann was 1 for 2 with two runs scored and a stolen base.

Though both teams got runners on base in the first two innings, it was St. Mary’s that cracked the seal in the third. Addie Hoffmann got a single and advanced to second on a hit batsman before Reese Hoffmann singled to bring Addie Hoffmann in to score. However, the Raiders’ defense was able to get the third out to prevent any more damage.

Nicollet was able to respond immediately in the bottom of the inning. After Rengstorf was hit by a pitch, she stole second and was brought home on a single by Lydia Martens to tie the game. However, unlike the Knights, Nicollet was able to continue to get batters on base, with Leah Bode getting a single to set up Forbrook for her three-run homer.

“We’ve really been working on getting the ball out front,” Nicollet head coach Marc Bode said. “We’ve struggled with our seventh-, eighth-, ninth-grade kids playing ball out here against older kids, so they’ve been behind. We’ve been really working catching the ball out front and driving it and trying to catch it hard, so we’re not hitting foul balls, we’re hitting balls hard to the outfield.

“And we’re getting there. It’s a work in progress. We’re a young team, and we’re trying to get better every day. I think they’re clicking on that.”

With momentum on its side, Nicollet got a three up, three down inning in the top of the fourth and added another run in the bottom of the inning. A bunt by Rengstorf perfectly split the Knights defense and allowed Rengstorf to reach second and Kachelmeier to take home from second.

Two scoreless innings followed, and Nicollet went back on defense at the top of the seventh with a 5-1 lead. St. Mary’s was able to rally in the inning, with Sidney Tauer and Addie Hoffmann scoring on a double by Weiss, but once again the Raiders’ defense came up clutch with a pair of outs to end the comeback short.

Nicollet (4-12) awaits playoff seeding next. St. Mary’s (5-9) travels to take on Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart on Monday.