Top-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock too much for Vinton-Shellsburg

DES MOINES - They posed for a postgame team photo in front of their dugout Tuesday afternoon at Principal Park, and you actually saw some smiles.

As it should have been for the Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings. No, the season didn't end the way they wanted it to, but it ended in the right city and ballpark.

And this might just be the start of something really, really good.

'It's been incredible, a lot of fun,” Vinton-Shellsburg's Tyler Rippel said, after his club's 6-0 loss to Waverly-Shell Rock in a Class 3A quarterfinal. 'We've been playing with a lot of confidence. Last year, we didn't have that good of year, but everybody bounced back.”

Bounced right into the state tournament for the first time since 2009. With six sophomores and two juniors in the starting lineup, the future appears bright.

'Two more years,” said V-S infielder Nathan Struve, one of the six sophs.

'It just felt good to be back here,” Rippel said.

The Vikings finished 25-17.

'I'm just real proud of these kids,” said Coach Jim Struve, Nathan's dad. 'You look at our team and wonder ‘How did they get here?' But they got here with guts and determination and discipline. They did a lot of little things well. Not good enough today, but good enough to get here.”

Top-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock (33-4) proved too tough a task for the underdog Vikings. Starting pitcher Alex Robson threw six two-hit innings, and the Go-Hawks pecked away offensively, scoring in four of their six at-bats.

Dalton Graven had three hits and three RBIs, Robson improved his considerable record to 10-0.

'I felt good,” said Robson, who walked two and struck out eight. 'You've got give credit where credit is due. Vinton is a heck of a team.”

'We didn't stay as aggressive as we needed to,” Coach Struve said. 'I think we had five backwards Ks, and that's not characteristic at all of our squad all year. We've been aggressive, were extremely aggressive in the substate finals (a win over Williamsburg).”

Rippel gave up seven hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss, though only two of the runs allowed were earned. Perhaps that was a sign of V-S's youth.

'I felt like I was performing well,” Rippel said. 'I just left a few balls up, and they got base hits out of them. They made the most of it. We made a couple errors in the field, but my teammates, they fought hard. I could hear them the entire game (supporting me). It's just good to hear that.”

Coach Struve was quick to point out the important leadership of lone senior Aaron Henderson, the team's leading hitter. But even he had to admit he's looking forward to next season.

'Exactly,” he said. 'We've got a lot of young kids. I've got to give a hats off to our lone senior Aaron Henderson. He has been our rock, our foundation. He's a really good baseball player, but he's more of a high-character, quality kid. Our kids really believed in him, he was our leader.

'I'm proud of his accomplishements as a senior, as well as excited about our future.”

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