Pelican Rapids catcher Maclain Hovland dives to make the tag on a Frazee runner.
Southpaw Jaden Ripley was on the mound for the Pelican Rapids Vikings for part of the April 18 doubleheader with Frazee at home.
Pelican second baseman Lucas VerDorn fields a grounder up the middle to make the throw to first. Background, shortstop Esteban Garza.
Pelican first baseman Willem Pesch fields a grounder to make a play at first, while pitcher Ethen Sjostrom approaches the action, left.

PHOTOS BY LOUIS HOGLUND

After more than a month of practicing inside, the Pelican Rapids Viking baseball team began their season April 18 at Chauncey Martin Field. 

The Vikings played host to the Frazee Hornets and came up on the losing side in both games of the doubleheader. 

Junior captain Ethan Sjostrom started on the mound in game one for Pelican Rapids and pitched into the fourth inning, allowing seven runs on nine hits while striking out three Frazee batters. 

Jayden Ripley and Willem Pesch then came on in relief. The Vikings were led at the plate by fellow captain Jack Paulson who collected three hits, including a double, while scoring two runs. Esteban Garza belted two hits of his own, scoring twice and driving in a run along the way. 

Sjostrom and Ripley also added hits for the Vikings. 

The final score was 13-8 in favor of Frazee. 

Game two was a lower-scoring affair. 

Esteban Garza was the starting pitcher for the Vikings. He threw four innings allowing just one earned run while striking out three. 

He was then relieved by Maclain Hovland, who pitched the final two innings, giving up just two unearned runs and collecting a couple of strikeouts of his own. 

Sjostrom led the Viking bats in game two, picking up three hits. He was joined in the hit column by Hovland with two singles, with Garza and Josh Bakken adding a single a piece, respectively. 

Final score of game two was 6-2. 

Despite not coming out ahead on the scoreboard, head coach Andy Johnson was pleased with the team’s effort.

“The guys did a lot of nice things throughout both games,” stated Johnson. “Our pitchers threw a lot of strikes, and our hitters gave us some quality at-bats. It’s always tough when we haven’t had many practices outside, but the guys stayed focused and kept a positive attitude throughout both games.” 

The Vikings are back in action against Perham on April 27 at Chauncey Martin Field.