The Forest Park Rangers opened postseason play Thursday night with a hard-fought 7-5 extra-inning victory over Tell City, surviving a back-and-forth battle to advance in the state tournament. In a game filled with momentum swings, timely hits, and pressure moments, the Rangers answered every challenge before pulling away in the eighth inning. Forest Park wasted no time getting on the board. Hudson King ripped an RBI triple in the first inning to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead, but Tell City answered in the bottom half to even the score. The Rangers created separation in the third inning with patience and timely hitting. King drew a bases-loaded walk, Riley Begle followed with an RBI single, and Cam Lueken added another RBI walk to give Forest Park a 4-1 advantage. Tell City refused to go away, battling back to tie the game in the fourth inning. Forest Park regained the lead in the fifth after Damion Kline lifted a sacrifice fly to score a run, but the Marksmen answered again in the sixth to force extra innings. With the season on the line in the eighth, the Rangers delivered their biggest at-bats of the night. Jared Burger came through first with a clutch RBI double down the left field line to break the tie. Moments later, Jaxon Lueken added another insurance run with an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-5. King gave the Rangers a strong start on the mound, working six innings against a Tell City lineup that continued to battle throughout the game. Lueken then took over on the mound. Pitching with confidence in a pressure-packed postseason moment, the senior shut down Tell City over the final two innings, allowing no hits while striking out four to secure the sectional victory. Forest Park showed toughness throughout the night offensively. Begle led the Rangers with three hits, while Burger, Lueken, King, and Kline each drove in runs. The Rangers also created pressure all game long on the bases, stealing nine total bases. The win keeps Forest Park’s season alive and sends the Rangers forward in sectional play tonight at 8:00 against Mater Dei, as the postseason atmosphere continues to build.