Vikings take down Wolves on senior night

Senior Ally Meyers of the AHSTW Vikings and sophomore Ella Richards of the IKM-Manning Wolves were locked into a pitchers duel going into the bottom of the third inning, but that changed when the Vikings bats came alive and ultimately won the game in the fifth inning via the mercy rule, 10-0.

“I thought that Ally did a great job,” said Wolves Head Softball Coach Joy Gross. “The defense made some nice plays for her. We didn’t put the ball in play enough. I thought Ella did a really nice job.”

It was senior night for the Vikings as Abbie Willett, Ally Meyers and Natalie Hagadon got honored before the game.

“I’ve known these girls since they were in seventh grade, I was pretty choked up,” said Vikings Head Softball Coach Trevor Gipple. “They’ve made me better. I try to make them better. They’re great kids and I love them.”

Throughout the game, the Vikings had 12 hits, including four girls with multiple hits on the roster. Sophomores Rylie Knop and Graycen Partlow each had three hits as they contributed to their team victory.

“Normally, it takes them one time through just to get on time and once we were on time, we started executing again, trying to find that low pitch on the outside corner and we started hitting hard around the field,” Coach Gipple said.

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, the Vikings sit in third place in the Western Iowa standings behind the Logan-Magnolia Panthers and the Treynor Cardinals. Gipple addressed things he feels still need to be worked on despite such a dominant season.

“Obviously, everybody knows we’re a young team,” Gipple said. “Sometimes our youthfulness comes through and a little bit of impatience at the plate. Staying aggressive when we need to be.”