The Anoka-Ramsey Golden Rams traveled to Waite Park yesterday to face the St. Cloud Tech Cyclones needing to only win one game of the doubleheader to claim the MCAC Southern Division crown, and this is exactly what they did.
The Golden Rams won game one of the doubleheader 5-2 behind a dominating pitching performance by sophomore Sunny Strait. Strait was nearly unhittable striking out 12 Cyclone batters while only allowing five hits.
"This was the best pitching performance I have seen all year long", said Head Coach Dave Alto. "Sunny pitched masterfully. She was so much fun to watch!"
Offensively, the top of the order was key to the Golden Ram victory. Lead-off hitter, Emma Bright was 2-4 with two runs scored and a triple.
Following Bright was Kenna Packard who was 3-4 with a single, double, and triple. And then the #3 hitter in the line-up Madison Segler was 2-3 with an RBI.
"We have had great production from the top of order all season long, and today was no different", said Alto. "I am so very proud of this team. We have come together as ONE, despite all of the challenges that this season presented to us."
Game two of the doubleheader saw Anoka-Ramsey again jump to an early lead with Bright hitting another triple and scoring on an RBI double by Packard. Two outs later Packard would score on a single by Maddie Bottineau to give the Golden Rams an early 2-0 lead.
The Cyclones would pick up a run in the 2nd inning, but the Golden Rams responded with two more of their own in the top of the 3rd inning. Segler hit a one out double to right center and scored on an RBI single by Strait. Brooke Beberg then hit a two out single and Emili Waite drove in the second run of the inning with another single.
The team was leading 4-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth when the wheels fell off, and the Cyclones put up eight runs to take an 11-4 lead. Anoka-Ramsey would get two of the runs back on a 2-run homer by Strait, but that's all they could muster falling by a final score of 6-11.
By winning the MCAC Southern Division, Anoka-Ramsey for the first time ever will host the Region XIIIA Tournament next Thursday, May 20 and Friday, May 21 at our Cambridge campus.
The Golden Rams will be the #1 seed and will open with the #4 seed MN West at 12:00pm on Thursday, May 20. The team will conclude their regular season this Saturday, May 15 at Central Lakes College in Brainerd in non-divisional play.