Sports

Benton County Speedway hosts Hogan Memorial on Sunday

VINTON, Iowa (July 5) – The winner of the Hogan Memorial can more than  double their money with a long run at the front of the IMCA Modified  feature field this Sunday, July 11 at Benton County Speedway. The headline event pays $1,250 to win and an other $50 for each of the  40 laps led, plus another $250 to the leader at midway, making for a  potential payoff of $3,500.

Vikings swept by Solon at home; split at West-Delaware; play at home Monday

Gunner Tranel and coach Jim Struve discuss pitching strategies during Solon game in Vinton. The Vinton-Shellburg baseball team lost two against Solon on Wednesday night, then traveled to Manchester, where the split a double-header with West Delaware.  At home Wednesday, the Vikings faced a 28-2 and top-ranked Solon team that includes no senior starters. The VIkings lost 11-1 and 17-2. The team plays Monday, at home, and then on next Thursday, will travel to the Quad Cities, where they will play in the stadium used by the Minor League River Bandits against Central DeWitt.

Vikings hope for turnaround at home vs. Solon tonight

Clint Ferguson doubled down the left field line twice vs. Columbus Monday. The Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings host Solon tonight in a varsity double-header after a difficult day in Waterloo on Monday, when they lost both games to Waterloo Columbus. The Vikings made several errors in both games. They lost a 9-8 heartbreaker in Game 1 when the umpire called a balk with a man on third in the bottom of the seventh inning.  The balk forced in the winning run.

Vikettes drop walk-off heartbreaker to North Tama

Traer -- All the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikettes needed in the seventh inning Tuesday night at North Tama was three outs. They only got two. The Vikettes (16-13 overall for the year), dropped a tough 7-6 loss to the Redhawks on the road in one of those "what might have been..." games. V-S fought back from a 3-2 hole in in the fifth inning to forge a 6-3 lead going into the last seventh.

Sixes and sevens, ties and the World Cup of illogical sports words

The Americans, said the sports announcer,were "at sixes and sevens" in the first half, but they made the match level in the second half. Eh? What? Every time the World Cup comes on, I try to watch it, giving the world's favorite a sport half a chance to earn something besides my scorn. But every year, the soccer players do enough silly things to restore my confidence in the future of baseball and football as America's favorite sports.

V-S sweeps Columbus on softball field

The Vinton-Shellsburg softball team swept Waterloo Columbus, 3-2 and 3-0 in a doubleheader in Waterloo, Monday evening. 

Benton defeats Vinton-Shellsburg, 5-3

Viking speedster Travis Libbert has many stolen bases; but he was out in this steal attempt. A four-run third inning, capped by a 3-run homer, gave Benton Community all the runs they would need to defeat Vinton-Shellsburg Friday. The Bobcats defeated the Vikings in WaMaC Conference action 5-3, in a game postponed a week by rain.  Darrin Charlier was the Vikings' starting pitcher. Grant Sagan finished the game for the Vikings.

Racing in Vinton: Holtz, Brown, Nate Chandler among winners.

Matt Brown again won the Hobby Stock feature in Vinton, June 27. The Benton County Speedway saw several racers making their return to Victory Lane Sunday, June 27. Jerry Luloff won the Modifieds. Phil Holtz was the stock car feature winner. Austin Kaplan (sports mod), Nate Chandler (sports compact) and Matt Brown (hobby stock) also returned to Victory Lane in Vinton. (All photos courtesy of Scott Tjab

V-S Baseball: Maquoketa sweeps Vikings in Vinton

Nolan Edwards started Game 2 for V-S in the home double-header against Maquoketa. The Vinton-Shellsburg baseball team struggled defenseively, giving up several un-earned runs while being swept at home by Maquoketa, Thursday night.  The Cardinals defeated the Vikings, 10-7 and 9-4.  The Vikings return to action tonight, traveling to Van Horne to play Benton Community. The varsity only plays tonight; a one-game matchup that was postponed by rain last Friday.

Vikettes shock No.7 Maquoketa, 1-0

Vikette pitcher Maddie Cornell fires to first base as teammate Katie Henderson looks on. VINTON – A week ago Monday, the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikettes played a doubleheader with Marion that took just short of five hours to complete. Wednesday night, the Vikettes and seventh-rated Maquoketa needed just 58 minutes to play a single game. And what a 58 minutes it was! Vikette freshman Maddie Cornell carried a no-hitter into the seventh-inning and needed just a two-out, fifth-inning pinch-hit RBI single from fellow frosh Katie Hanson to pull out the 1-0 win over the Cardinals at Thole Field.