In their first game of the season, the Rangers faced off against Divisional rivals Forest Hills Northern in what was a defensive battle. FHC’s senior right fielder Sean Wing got things going for the Rangers in the top of the fifth with an RBI flyout bringing in sophomore Adam Tellier. Adam provided a spark at the plate for the Rangers, as he hit a single and a double to help get things going. The kid who won them the game was ace pitcher Nate Doolittle. Nate pitched a complete game giving up no earned runs. The huskies only run came from an error. Nate, being a former Husky, had a little extra motivation going against his former team. He was able to use it to his advantage.

“I found the plate early on and became comfortable,” Nate said. “Adam came up big for us with a single and a double to get us going at the plate.”

Adam knows that it wasn’t their best performance, but it was a good hard fought win to start off the season.

“We started out slow but came together in the end to pull out a good win,” Adam said.

Head coach Mark Rasmussen has learned to become comfortable with Nate on the mound, and this game was no different. He believes Nate’s performance was key but also the heart his guys showed.

“We had to grind it out and find a way to win,” Rasmussen said. “Doolittle’s pitching performance was a huge key for us.”

Sean, who has spent most of his career on varsity, knew the importance of beating the Huskies and starting the season off strong. He provided a few nice at-bats and drove in their first run.

“Nate pitched a great game for us,” Rasmussen said. “He has a bulldog mentality. We didn’t really support him with all the runs we wanted to, but I think our bats will wake up.”

Adam has high expectations for this team in his first year on varsity, and he knows everyone is on board.

“Our main goal for this year is a state championship, and all of us have our hearts and minds set on that.”

Rasmussen believes there is a lot that this team needs to improve on if they wanna reach that goal. Their star-studded line-up is a good start in itself.

“We have to be able to make routine plays,” Rasmussen said. “Also, we have to be more selective at the plate.”

The Rangers will rematch the Huskies and look to improve to 4-0 tonight at Forest Hills Central.