[April 09, 2013] Lady Vikings take first loss in NW; fall to Cards 3-1 Tweet Apr 06, 2013 (The Stokes News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Photos by Erik Spencer Hill -- The Stokes News The mood was somber after the Lady Viking& #8217;s game against East Surry& #8217;s Cardinals on Friday night at North Stokes High School, where the team was handed its first loss in the Northwest Conference. Photos by Erik Spencer Hill -- The Stokes News The mood was somber after the Lady Viking's game against East Surry's Cardinals on Friday night at North Stokes High School, where the team was handed its first loss in the Northwest Conference. slideshow Photos by Erik Spencer Hill -- The Stokes News Lady Viking Heather Nall hits a single at the bottom of the second. Photos by Erik Spencer Hill -- The Stokes News Lady Viking Heather Nall hits a single at the bottom of the second. slideshow Photos by Erik Spencer Hill -- The Stokes News Lady Viking Sabrina Dodson (right) runs in after a solo homer at the bottom of the fourth inning. Photos by Erik Spencer Hill -- The Stokes News Lady Viking Sabrina Dodson (right) runs in after a solo homer at the bottom of the fourth inning. slideshow The Lady Vikings were handed their first loss in the conference this season, with a 3-1 defeat by East Surry's Cardinals on Friday night at North Stokes High School. Lady Vikings Coach Jeff Frye said that the loss was "bittersweet," but he said that his team would look at the loss as a "learning experience." "One loss is not going to kill us," he said, noting that the team is still number one in the conference with a record of 7-1. The game started out slow in the first four innings on Friday night. A pitchers duel sprang up between North Stokes' Lindsay Brown and East Surry's Jessica Barker. Batters on both sides had trouble getting on base throughout the night. The first three innings went without a run on either side. Then, at the bottom of the fourth inning, Lady Viking Sabrina Dodson hit a solo homer, scoring the team's first and only run in the game. Both sides had strong fielding and pitching in the fifth and did not spend much time on the plate. At the top of the sixth, East Surry broke loose and jumped ahead for the lead on a big play. Kelsey Wilson knocked the ball out of the park and brought in two runners to put the Cards up by 3-1. The Lady Vikings fought hard to get on base and score some runs in the final inning, but couldn't make it happen. East Surry's pitcher, Jessica Barker, gave North Stokes fits all evening. She had 15 strikeouts in the game and the Lady Vikings struggled to get hits throughout the night. ___ (c)2013 The Stoke News (Walnut Cove, N.C.) Visit The Stoke News (Walnut Cove, N.C.) at www.thestokesnews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]