Sports : Hard work, teamwork help 'scrappy' Vikettes advance to Regional final

“ONE! ONE! ONE!”

Vinton-Shellsburg catcher Rachel Clemens says she was not thinking double play as she stood with her foot on home plate, waiting for the throw from pitcher Maddie Cornell.

The Vikettes were hanging on to a one-run lead when Benton Community loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth inning and nobody out.

Cornell had just struck out the Bobcat catcher; the next batter hit a bouncer back to the Vikette pitcher. She threw the ball back to Clemens; the catcher followed the urging of her teammates and coaches and tossed the ball to Ashley McKenna in time for the force out at first to complete the double play and end the scoring threat.

The double play – which even made its way onto the KCRG-TV newscast – is the product of the teamwork and hard work that Cornell and Coach Bari Parrott say is the key to the Vikettes’ success this year.

V-S is 24-15 on the year after Saturday’s win. They travel tonight to Carlisle; the winner of this game advances to the State Tournament.

The Vikettes have a young team; one freshman and two sophomores are among the starting nine.

“Ninety-five percent of the time we are not going to be the most talented team on the field,” said Parrott after the Vikettes’ win at Benton. “But we are a scrappy team. We will find ways to get on base, advance the runner and score.”

And, says the coach, nobody works as hard as the Vikettes day after day at practices.

The other key to the Vikettes’ success, says Cornell, is the friendship and team spirit the Vikettes share.

“We are all good friends and we play well together,” said Cornell, who is among the pitching leaders in the WaMaC with 17 wins.

About Carlisle

The 4th-ranked Carlisle Wildcats (31-7) advanced by beating Clear Creek-Amana, which had gone to the State Tournament for the past four years. Only two of the starting 10 (nine position players plus designated hitter) are seniors.

The Vikettes also must make one of their longest road trips of the season; it’s nearly 120 miles to Carlisle, located on Highway 5, just east of I-65 south of I-80, at the Polk/Warren county line. See a map HERE.