Sports : Central DeWitt ace keeps Vikes from advancing to State

Tyler Rippel made his last start for the Vikings in the Sub-State loss at DeWitt Central.

Tyler Rippel made his last start for the Vikings in the Sub-State loss at DeWitt Central.

Down 6-0 at the start of the sixth inning, the Vinton-Shellsburg baseball team rallied for five runs in the top of the sixth, and had runners on base.

But with two outs and the go-ahead run at the plate, the Sabers coach replaced their starting pitcher with their undefeated one.

Senior TJ Sikkema, the son of Sabers head coach Shane Sikkema, is 8-0 this season, with an era of .38; opposing hitters are batting just .084 against him.

An infield single by Connor Miracle drove in the fifth Viking run in the 6th.

Sikkema, who has signed with the University of Missouri, came in with two out and runners on first and second. He got the last out in the sixth and struck out all three Viking batters in the seventh, preserving the win for the Sabers.

Tyler Rippel, in his last game as a Viking, allowed just two earned runs, but VS three errors in the fourth inning helped the Sabers build a 5-0 lead. They added one more in the fifth. Rippel also did his part to help the offense, driving in two runs with a single in the 6th.

See game photos HERE.