Catcher Maclain Hovland takes a throw, just short of tagging DGF runner at the plate.
Jayden Ripley on the mound for the Pelican Rapids Vikings.
Willem Pesch came in as a relief pitcher in game one.
Jack Paulson at the plate for the Vikings.
Luke Sjolie up for bat.

Section leading DGF too much for Vikes

The Vikings hosted the DGF Rebels May 11 and dropped a pair of games to the top team in Section 8AA. 

Senior Jayden Ripley got the start on the mound in game one for the Vikings. Ripley pitched into the fourth inning, allowing six earned runs while collecting two strikeouts. He was relieved by Willem Pesch, who gave up two earned runs in over an inning of work. 

The DGF bats were hot as the Rebels scored in every inning en route to a 16-0 victory. Jack Paulson and Luke Sjolie collected hits for the Vikings. 

Pelican would bounce back to begin the second game. 

The game was scoreless heading into the third inning when the Vikings got on the scoreboard first.

Jack Paulson led the inning off with a sharp single to left field. Luke Sjolie then drew a walk advancing Paulson to second base. Esteban Garza advanced Paulson to third on a fielder’s choice, and from there, Paulson would score on a wild pitch to put the Vikings up 1-0. 

The lead would be short-lived as DGF responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. They would take on another six over the remaining innings to make the final score 11-1. 

Maclain Hovland started game two for the Vikings and went five innings, allowing five earned runs while picking up five strikeouts. 

The Vikings were led at the plate by Jack Paulson, Ethan Sjostrom, Maclain Hovland, Kaden Holt, and Jayden Ripley, who all gathered hits in the contest. 

“The final score of the second game doesn’t do justice to how much better we played as the day went on,” noted Pelican Rapids head coach Andy Johnson. 

“Maclain threw a well-pitched game and did a nice job of limiting the damage when DGF had rallies. It was also nice to see our guys making plays in the field and our bats come alive a bit more in the second game. DGF is a really good ball club, and they do a lot of things well. I was proud of how our guys performed against such a tough opponent.” 

The Vikings are back in action on Tuesday, May 16, at Staples-Motley and again on May 18 in Hawley for a double-header.