All it took was one run in two games for Forest Lake to earn a trip to the Class 4A state tournament. 

Senior outfielder Maddie Romines clubbed a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, and sophomore pitcher Megan Baniecke made that lone run count as she shut out a powerful Anoka offense to pick up the 1-0 win Thursday in the second - and decisive - game of the Class 4A, Section 7 championship. 

“We didn’t hit,” Tornadoes coach Toni Jesinoski said. “(Forest Lake) had to get one run to get to the state tournament in two games. That kind of stings a little.”

It also stung that Anoka ace pitcher Amber Elliott was not at full strength. She had an ice pack on her ankle between games after throwing six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in victory in Game 1. 

Molly Swenson threw three solid innings to start Game 2, giving up just the one run before Elliott was called on to finish the last three frames for the Tornadoes (22-5).

The dramatic victory for the Rangers (18-7) came on the heels of a a 12-0 trouncing in the first game, a blow that Forest Lake coach Sean Hall said did not rattle his team. 

“We knew we had that extra game in the bank, and we knew we could play better,” Hall said. “We had all the confidence in the world that if we changed a few things here and there, that we would be able to show (Anoka) a different look." 

Part of the confidence was found in Baniecke, who surrendered four runs in the first game but shined in Game 2's two-hit shutout. 

“I was kind of mad they beat us to the ground in the first game,” Baniecke said. “I just wanted to come out and put them down.”

Put them down indeed. 

Baniecke doesn't rely on strikeouts to retire batters, instead letting her defense do the work.

“I don’t need to strike (opponents) out, I need to get the ball on the ground and make (my teammates) make the plays,” Baniecke said. 

Romines said that the Rangers lost no confidence in Baniecke after the first game. 

“Megan’s been our ace all season,” Romines said. “We knew she just needed a little warm up in that first game."

And the rest was left to Romines, whose clutch homer in the season's biggest game was typical, Hall said.

“She’s probably the biggest ‘winner’ I’ve ever been around,” Hall said. “She willed us to victory.”

Senior outfielder Maddie Romines hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, and sophomore pitcher Megan Baniecke hurled a shutout to lead Forest Lake to a 1-0 victory over Anoka in the Class 4A, Section 7 finals on Thursday at Lions Park. 

The Rangers (18-7) bounced back from a 12-0 loss to the Tornadoes in Game 1 of the day, and with the win advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2013. 

Junior pitcher Molly Swenson went three innings and took the loss in the circle for Anoka (22-5), ranked No. 4 in the Class 4A coaches' poll.

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