A little here, a little there, and you’ve got a whole lot of wins.

Saturday, July 21, 2001

A little here, a little there, and you’ve got a whole lot of wins.

The Viking Express senior league girls softball team combined the talents from Ironton, Symmes Valley, and Chesapeake and the collaboration has produced the District 11 champions.

"This group has worked together well. They get along great and that’s what it’s going to take to win (the state)," Viking Express coach Jeff "Odie" Estep said.

The team consists of seven girls each from Ironton and Symmes Valley and four from Chesapeake.

"We’ve got good pitching, good hitting, good fielding, and good team speed. We’ve got everything you need to be successful," Estep said.

In their first district game, Lori Harmon fired a no-hitter as Viking Express won in six innings, 10-0. Harmon struck out 11 and walked three. She also went 2-for-4 with a home run.

Tracy Mays was 2-for-4 with a triple and Tommie Holbrook and Kathy Rakes each doubled.

Viking Express won the second game 7-2 over Northwest as Kristen Crabtree and Harmon combined for the win. Jennifer Rice was 2-for-4 with a double and Holbrook 2-for-4 with a home run.

A forfeit in the third game put Viking Express in the best 2-out-of-3 championship series against Portsmouth.

Viking Express edged Portsmouth 4-3 in the first game as Rice got the win and Harmon the save. Holbrook was 2-for-4 with a triple.

In the second game, Viking Express rolled 10-0 in five innings as Valerie Keating went 3-for-3 and Harmon 3-for-4 with a double.

The district title puts Viking Express in the state tournament at 4 p.m. Friday, July 27, in Kenton. The tournament runs through the 30th.

Due to the expense of playing in Kenton, the team is in the process of raising funds.

The Viking Express softball team will hold a night swim from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Friday, July 20, at Sta-Tan Pool. Cost is $3. Rain date is Saturday, July 21. The team will also bag groceries at Tipton’s Foodland & Bakery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and then Saturday they will hold a car wash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Advance Auto in Ashland, Ky.

The team will raffle off a Longerberger basket donated by Lisa Bowman, a ceiling fan donated by West Virginia Electric, and a socket set donated by Auto Zone. Raffle tickets are being sold by players and coaches.

Also, anyone interested in making a donation the team may call Estep at 643-2021, Joe Terry at 533-3681, or Joe Martin 533-2593.

First Game

Fairland 000 000 – 0 0 2

Viking Express 002 008 – 10 10 0

Hunter, Martin (6) and Cline. Lori Harmon and Tommie Holbrook. W-Harmon (11-K, 3-W). L-Hunter. Hitting-Viking Express: Lori Harmon 2-4 HR, Tracy Mays 2-4 3B, Valerie Keating 1-3, Tommie Holbrook 1-2 2B, Kayla Bowman 1-3, Teresa Keating 1-2, Stephanie Burns 1-3, Kathy Rakes 1-1 2B.

Second Game

Viking Xpress 200 100 4 – 7 7 2

Northwest 200 000 0 – 2 8 2

Kristen Crabtree, Lori Harmon (5) and Tommie Holbrook. Stidham and Swann. W-Crabtree (3-K, 0-W). Save-Harmon (6-K, 0-W). L-Stidham. Hitting-Viking Express: Jennifer Rice 2-4 2B, Tommie Holbrook 2-4 HR, Candice Dickison 1-2, Kathy Rakes 1-1, Lori Harmon 1-3.

Championship Series

First Game

(Best 2-out-of-3)

Portsmouth 002 100 0 – 3 4 3

Viking Express 003 001 x – 4 7 2

Bowman, Horton (4) and Walker. Jennifer Rice, Lori Harmon (6) and Tommie Holbrook. W-Rice (7-K, 2-W). L-Bowman. Save-Harmon (3-K, 0-W). Hitting-Viking Express: Tommie Holbrook 2-4 3B, Valerie Keating 1-3, Lori Harmon 1-3, Jennifer Rice 1-3, Stephanie Burns 1-4.

Second Game

Viking Express 305 02 – 10 8 0

Portsmouth 000 00 – 0 1 4

Lori Harmon and Tommie Holbrook. Horton and Riddelbarker. W-Harmon (7-K, 0-W). L-Horton. Single in the fourth. Hitting-Viking Express: Lori Harmon 3-4 2B, Valerie Keating 3-3, Kayla Bowman 1-3, Tracy Mays 1-3.