Everybody got hot at the end, scoring 13 runs.”

Mackenzie Darsow, sophomore third baseman

It was a relatively quiet game at Ojibway Park for four innings. The Wolfpack led 4-1 in the third and then 5-1 in the fifth, mainly on the strength of two home runs and four RBIs by sophomore third baseman Mackenzie Darsow.

The in the sixth, the bats of all of the 12th-ranked Wolfpack came alive as Park hits chased the Royals all over the field in a 13-2 Suburban East Conference victory.

It was a surging Park team’s 11th win in the last dozen games – only a tough 2-0 loss at No. 3 Forest Lake interrupting the winning streak.

“Nothing much,” said Darsow with a laugh when asked what was up during her time at the plate. “I practiced this weekend just to make sure that my swing was getting ready and that just was kind of what happened. But it’s great being in a team environment and everyone around me so supportive and everybody just wants everybody to do the best that they can. So it was great to be around a team like that. It just happened. Everybody got hot at the end, scoring 13 runs.”

Park hitters had success up and down the lineup with 19 hits by the Wolfpack. Leadoff batters Addie Corkish and Addison Jasper each had a single and double. Pitcher Ava Youngquist had two singles and a double in the sixth. Darsow had two homers and a single. Catcher Alayna Adamez socked a single and double. Maddie Boothe hit three singles. Kennedy Brink and Jenna Squillace each added a pair of singles.

“It feels great, I mean winning against them feels awesome,” said Kennedy, who played for Woodbury before this season. “Team energy is great against them and I love hitting off the pitchers and scoring and it just feels great to get those hits.

“I think we did well with our energy,” Kennedy added. “Our bats were on fire and our defense was very good. It was just good all around, energy was up, good team effort.”

Youngquist had her usual solid game on the mound despite giving up a pair of home runs. She struck out seven and scattered eight hits before talking the last inning in the infield.

“It’s easy when you hit the ball,” said Park head coach Tony Young. “Our pitching has been a strength of ours. Our defense is a huge strength and these girls are really buying into the process. They step in the box and they’re able to compete with any pitcher out there and we’re hitting the ball well.

“It’s all part of the process and with the coaching staff that we have the buy in,” Young added. “It’s easy to buy in when you have three college athletes, former college athletes on the staff that have been there and done it and you know the team is really, really tight, even with our JV it’s a tight-knit group right now.”

Park (16-4, 11-4) plays at conference rival East Ridge (7-10, 5-9) in the regular season finale Wednesday. Park took a closer-than-comfort 2-0 win from the Raptors in the first meeting between the two teams this season, A win by the Wolfpack would mean tying Stillwater for second in the SEC, both teams finishing with 12-4 record in the SEC.

Section play then starts next week with Park likely to get a home opener.

Park 18, Roseville 3

The Wolfpack scored their most runs of the season in an18-3 triumph over visiting Roseville Wednesday. It was Park’s eighth straight victory.

Park has now scored a total of 45 runs in its last three outings, winning 15-1, 12-0 and 18-3.

Park 5, Centennial 0

The Wolfpack won their ninth straight game with a 5-0 non-conference victory at Centennial Thursday.

Forest Lake 2, Park 0

For the third time this season against ranked foes, the Park Wolfpack came up just a tad short. The host and third-ranked Forest Lake Rangers took a 2-0 win from the visiting Wolfpack Friday afternoon in Forest Lake.

It was Park’s third straight tough loss in Suburban East Conference play this season, falling to White Bear Lake 1-0, to No. 14 Stillwater 3-2 and then to Forest Lake 2-0. The Wolfpack (10-4, 15-4) split the season series with White Bear Lake and Stillwater but were 0-2 against the Rangers (14-0, 19-2).