Forest Park softball drops two to North Dickinson, remains winless at 0-4

Forest Park’s softball team came away from its May 6 road doubleheader at North Dickinson with more questions than answers, falling 12-2 and 20-3 and slipping to 0-4 on the season. For the Forest Park Lady Trojans, the losses were not just two more defeats. They were an early read on how much work remains in the lineup, in the field and in the circle before the schedule tightens later in May.

Coach Kimberly Pekarek did not soften the result. “It was a rough one!” she said, even as she pointed to senior Maykayli Carlson’s work in the pitching circle. Pekarek said, “Senior Maykayli Carlson pitched very well in both games.” That kind of stability matters for a Forest Park team still trying to settle into game speed after a weather-delayed start to the spring.

The matchup at North Dickinson was listed on the Forest Park Schools calendar for 3 p.m. May 6, and the Nordics entered with a much busier early slate. North Dickinson had already played Lake Linden-Hubbell on March 21, Bark River-Harris on April 24 and Superior Central on May 4, then beat Rapid River 17-2 on May 7. That run of games showed in the pace and confidence of a North Dickinson team that was already deep into its season while Forest Park was still finding rhythm.

Forest Park did find a few bright spots. Jessie Loehr hit a solo home run in the first game, giving the Trojans one of their clearest offensive punches of the afternoon. In the second game, Tessa Bartoszek homered with a runner on base for two RBIs, and Loehr added two hits as Forest Park again flashed enough offense to suggest the bats are not the problem by themselves.

The larger issue is whether the Trojans can connect enough innings from top to bottom to keep pace against experienced opponents. Pekarek had said earlier in the season that the team first got outside April 28 after weather broke into the high 40s, a late start that left little time to sharpen fundamentals before league games arrived. That context makes the 0-4 opening more understandable, but it also raises the pressure on the next stretch.

Forest Park’s calendar showed another test at Superior Central on May 8, followed by more May dates against Rapid River, Munising and Lake Linden-Hubbell. Those games will tell the story of whether the Lady Trojans can turn scattered offensive sparks and strong innings from Carlson into something more durable before the season gets away from them.