VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State softball team totaled four home runs and 20 hits in a Saturday sweep over Bellevue. The Vikings took game one 9-3 and game two 7-5.
Valley City State improves to 16-4 overall this season and 9-1 in the NSAA. Bellevue drops to 22-15 overall and 8-4 in the conference.
Valley City State concludes the series with Bellevue on Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
VCSU 9, Bellevue 3
Riley Perryman opened scoring Saturday with a solo home run in the second inning. Bellevue's Ellie Bliemeister put the Bruins on the board with a two-run homer in the third, answered by a two-run blast from VCSU's Marissa Hawkins. Bellevue then tied it up 3-3 in the fourth.
The Vikings drove in three runs in the fifth inning and secured the 9-3 win with a three-run homer from Sierra Crocker in the sixth.
Sierra Crocker went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs and two runs scored. Riley Perryman and Marissa Hawkins each tallied two hits and two RBIs for VCSU. Joelle Aiello and Andrea Rodriguez each added two hits, while Aiello scored two runs and Rodriguez scored one.
Amber Stewart started in the circle for the Vikings, allowing two earned runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings. She walked one and struck out six. Emily Smith got the win, working 3 2/3 innings in relief allowing no hits. She walked four and struck out seven.
Bellevue's Lauren Jurek got the loss for the Bruins, allowing six earned runs in 5 innings pitched. She walked just one and struck out eight.
Ellie Bliemeister and Allison O'Driscoll each went 1-for-3 in the game. Bliemeister tallied two RBIs and Jurek added one RBI for Bellevue.
VCSU 7, Bellevue 5
The Vikings opened the second game scoring in each of the first four innings, including a solo home run from Autumn Perry to lead 7-2. Bellevue's Kelsey Arnold hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to close the gap but could get no closer as VCSU took the second game 7-5.
Joelle Aiello and Autumn Perry each went 2-for-3 at the plate while Aiello added two RBIs and Perry scored two runs. Marissa Hawkins drove in two runs and Andrea Rodriguez drove in one run for VCSU.
Emily Smith pitched a complete game for the Vikings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and striking out seven.
Savannah Gunn got the loss for Bellevue, allowing six earned runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out four. Kelsey Arnoled went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored for Bellevue. Ashley Young and Maricela Egan each added a run and an RBI Saturday.
