For the second straight day, Gibraltar/Washington Island came out swinging and garnered a lead they would not give up, winning their third straight regional title with a 10-4 victory over Florence Wednesday evening.

 

After Hobbs Emerson survived a laborious first inning unscathed, The Vikings plated three runs in the first inning with Owen Dannhausen's single, a wild pitch, and a ground out driving in the runs. The Vikings tacked on four more in the second inning with Cam Munao's RBI double and an Aaron Brey two-run home run providing the fireworks.

 

 

Logan Mccoy calmed things down for the Bobcats as he held the Vikings scoreless over the following three-plus innings. It allowed the Bobcats crawl back into it with one run in the third inning and two more in the sixth to make it 7-3. The Vikings got those runs back in their half of the sixth inning courtesy of two base-loaded hit-by-pitches and an RBI single by Charlie Reinhardt. The Bobcats scratched across one more run in the top of the seventh inning, but pitcher Miles Richmond induced the pop out that clinched the regional title for the Vikings.

 

 

Brey led all batters with three hits and two RBI in four at-bats. Rericha added two hits while Reinhardt (2), Munao, Dannhausen, Emerson, Mason Grooms, and Mason Isaacson-Krueger recorded RBI. Emerson earned the win on the mound, going 5.2 innings allowing three runs (1 ER) on four hits while striking out six. 

 

 

The Vikings will be back in action on 105.1 The GOAT at 10 a.m. next Tuesday when they battle top-seeded Rib Lake at 10 a.m. in Rosholt. If the Vikings advance, they would play for the sectional championship at 4 p.m.