With a satisfying exhibition win under their belts, the Maple Lake Lakers begin North Star League competition in earnest, with a home game against the Albertville Villains on Friday night June 2, at 7:30 p.m. Then action heats up during the next two weeks with league contests against Hutchinson, St. Michael, Monticello, Rockford and DC. The Freeport Black Sox came into Irish Stadium last Friday night carrying the reputation of a hard-hitting squad, but the Lakers out hit them and won 5-4 with good pitching and timely hitting. Craig Fobbe scored the winning run on Darin Decker’s eighth inning RBI single. With the game tied 4-4, Fobbe opened the inning with a hard smash to the outfield. Then in his first ever Laker at bat, Annandale High School junior Sam Marsnik pinch hit and laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. After an infield out, Decker’s hit drove in Fobbe from second. The Lakers got the rest of their runs in the fifth on three doubles, a walk, and one Sox error. With one out Darin Decker doubled and advanced to third on a hit by Nate Johnson. Decker scored on Chad Raiche’s sacrifice fly. Keith Jerpseth got a free pass, and then Tyler Decker doubled to drive in two more runs. The final run came on a Freeport infield error. In his best mound effort of the season, Chad Raiche went the first six innings, allowing only two earned runs. Building up a high pitch count, Raiche struck out five and gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and a hit batter. Todd DeMarais entered the game in relief in the seventh and put two batters on base with walk but got out of the inning on a Laker double play. Then hings got hairy in the eighth. With the score tied 4-4, DeMarais hit the first two batters. After a sacrifice bunt, the bunter reached base on a Laker error, and the sacks were loaded. With a strike out and two infield ground ball outs, DeMarais worked out of the jam and got the win. Continuing his good early season mound work, John Anderson rang up the first two batters and got the third out on a fly ball to shut down the Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth to earn a save. Darin Decker and Craig Fobbe each had two hits. No Sox batter had more than one hit. Maple Lake’s record is now 4 wins and 3 losses, 1 and 1 in league play. Next Sunday the Lakers travel to Hutchinson for a 2 p.m. game. The following Wednesday the Lakers face last year’s North Star B playoff runners up St. Michael on the Saints field at 7:30. — Don’s Details: Howard Lake’s team name is the Orphans, but it could apply to Freeport as well. The successful Black Sox began as Melrose, playing at the high school field years back. When this arrangement was no longer practical, they switched their home games to New Munich. A new field is near completion in Freeport with the first Sox home game scheduled for July 2. Four Hess cousins of Chad Raiche play for Freeport. In a Lakewood League game on Sunday against Becker, slugging first baseman Chad Hess had nine RBIs, including two three-run homers. Freeport: 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 4R 7H 1E Maple Lake: 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 x 5R 10H 3E Freeport: Ryan Tschida, Craig Meyer (5, L), and Corey Mergan Maple Lake: Chad Raiche, Todd DeMarais (7,W), John Anderson (9,Save) and Keith Jerpseth