The Golden Rams of Anoka-Ramsey Community College traveled to Rochester, Minnesota for the Crossover Tournament, dominating Mesabi Range in game one before falling to Bay College in game two, splitting their games on Friday.

The Golden Rams started fast on Friday and never looked back in their opening game against Mesabi Range. The Golden Rams added three runs in the 1st, two in the 2nd, and five in the 3rd and 4th, easily defeating Mesabi Range. Molly Gross continued her impressive pitching streak, striking out 11 batters in just 16 at-bats while allowing only one hit. Gross improved to 4-2 on the year with the win. Some of the usual suspects provided much of the Golden Rams offense. Emma Bright was 2-3 with a triple, and Hailey Babock was 3-4 with two doubles and two stolen bases. Lyla Galli was 2-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. The Golden Rams exploded at the plate in the 5th inning, scoring five runs. The Golden Rams would go on to easily defeat Mesabi Range 15-0 in five innings. With their win, the Golden Rams improved to 10-8 on the season.

Anoka-Ramsey didn’t fare as well in the second game, as they struggled to get going offensively while making some defensive errors. The Golden Rams matched Bay College’s two runs in the first, but the Norse of Bay College would eventually pull away, as Anoka-Ramsey scored just two runs in the 1st and 6th innings. Starting pitcher Sunny Strait struggled a bit on the mound, striking out just two while allowing eight hits. The Golden Rams also recorded four errors, which contributed to Bay College’s success. Sunny Strait moves to 4-3 on the year with the loss. At the plate, Lyla Galli was 2-4 with a double, and Emma Bright was 1-3 with a double and three stolen bases, but the Golden Rams couldn’t match the runs Bay College was putting up. Anoka-Ramsey would go on to lose this one, 7-4. With the loss, the Golden Rams fall to 10-9 on the season.

“We played well in game one, but not so well in game two,” Head Coach Dave Alto said. “[We made] too many physical and mental mistakes that cost us in the game.” While he was disappointed with their effort in game two, he still had a positive outlook on the season. “The game is about learning and growing,” Alto said. “And we will continue to learn and grow and get better each time out [on the field]”.

The Golden Rams will play two more games on Saturday, April 2nd in the Rochester Crossover Tournament.