By Becky Walz,
The Viking infield gets pumped up before the game on the pitcher’s mound. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)
With an 8-3 record in the Northeast Iowa Conference, the Decorah softball team (12-11, 8-3 NEIC) remains on top of the league standings despite a split with Waverly-Shell Rock Thursday night at home. Friday, the Vikes saw some non-conference action as North Fayette Valley came to Decorah and returned to West Union defeated.
At home
Thursday night, the Vikes hosted Waverly-Shell Rock (8-16, 6-6 NEIC), dropping game one in eight innings and winning the second.
An error in the first led to a run by the visitors with the Go-Hawks adding one run in the fifth. The Vikings scored both of their runs in the sixth to tie the game at 2-2 on a Dylin Thompson double and Bryar Duwe triple and forced an extra frame.
W-SR got its first three batters on the basepaths with an error leading to the Go-Hawks scoring the go-ahead run, 3-2. Looking to keep the game going, Decorah’s Clara Hjelle knocked out a single to start the bottom half of the eighth, only to be left on base.
Hjelle took the loss, throwing all eight frames, collecting five strikeouts. Decorah had four hits in the contest with Hjelle have a pair of singles to go with Duwe’s triple and Thompson’s double.
Decorah wasted no time scoring in game two with one in the first and two in the second. W-SR got on the board with two in the sixth but was no threat as the Vikes rattled off five in the bottom of the sixth. Three of the five scored on an Autumn Schaller double.
The win went to Sydney Kipp in the circle with Hjelle throwing in relief.
The Vikes garnered 14 hits with Schaller and Lillian Olson each going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Lani Hubka and Kipp had two hits and drove in a run apiece.
W-SR 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 6 0
Dec 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 4 5
Clara Hjelle (LP) – 8IP, 3R, 6H, 1BB, 5K
3B – Bryar Duwe 1; 2B – Dylin Thompson 1; 1B – Hjelle 2; RBI – Duwe 1; Lani Hubka 1
W-SR 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 7 2
Dec 1 2 0 0 0 5 x 8 14 3
Sydney Kipp (WP) – 5-1/3IP, 2R, 7H, 2BB; Hjelle (RP) – 1-2/3IP
2B – Autumn Schaller 1; 1B – Lillian Olson 3; Hubka 2; Schaller 2; Kipp 2; Lauren Luzum 1; Hjelle 1; Paige Werner 1; Thompson 1; RBI – Olson 3; Schaller 3; Hubka 1; Hjelle 1; SB – Hubka 2; Schaller 1
Non-conference
A rally late in the game gave the Vikes a 7-4 win over North Fayette Valley (14-12) Friday at home.
The visitors struck for two in the first inning with Decorah putting up four in the second with two coming off a Lani Hubka single up the middle of the field.
The Vikes padded their lead with one in the fourth with the TigerHawks slicing into that advantage with two in the fifth. With Paige Werner hit by a pitch and an error with Dylin Thompson at the plate, a Bryar Duwe double drove in the final two runs of the game in the sixth for the win.
Kipp got the win with Hjelle as the relief pitcher.
Decorah had six hits in the contest. Hubka was 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI and three stolen bases. Duwe had a double while Hjelle and Werner also had hits.
NFV 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 8 4
Dec 0 4 0 1 0 2 x 7 6 3
Kipp (WP) – 3IP, 4R, 5H, 2BB; Hjelle (RP) – 4IP, 3H, 7K
2B – Duwe 1; Schaller 1; 1B – Hubka 2; Hjelle 1; Werner 1; RBI – Hubka 3; Duwe 2; Hjelle 1; SB – Hubka 3; Duwe 2; Werner 2
Home tourney
Amid the rain showers that graced northeast Iowa Saturday, the Vikings played Riceville falling to the Wildcats, 4-0 and Johnston for a 10-0 loss.
Rice 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 4 9 0
Dec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 2
Hjelle (LP) – 4IP, 3R, 6H, 4K; Kipp (RP) – 3IP, 1R, 3H, 1BB
2B – Thompson 1; 1B – Hubka 2; Olson 2; Duwe 1; Luzum 1; Kipp 1
John 1 6 2 0 0 0 1 10 11 0
Dec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
Hjelle (LP) – 2-2/3IP, 9R, 6H, 3BB, 2K; Kipp (RP) – 4-2/3IP, 1R, 5H, 1BB
1B – Luzum 2
This week
Decorah is at North Linn Tuesday, June 27, then travel to Dike-New Hartford Wednesday, June 28. Both nights are junior varsity/varsity twinbills that start at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 29, the Vikes have a varsity doubleheader at Crestwood with the first pitch at 5:30 p.m.
The week concludes back in Decorah Friday, June 30, versus Mason City with JV in action at 5:30 p.m., followed by a varsity contest.
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