BELLEVUE, NEB. – Anne-Elise Gest hit a two-run home run to finish Valley City State's softball game in just six innings Thursday. The Vikings defeated Presentation by a final score of 14-6 in the Opening Round of the NSAA Softball Tournament.
The Vikings advance to the winner's bracket of the NSAA Softball Tournament. No. 1 Valley City State will face No. 5 Dakota State at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
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Joelle Aiello hit four doubles in the victory, increasing her season total to 19 and tying the school record for doubles in a season. She went 4-for-5 at the plate, scored four runs and drove in two Thursday.
Riley Perryman went 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs, while Makenzee Stone went 3-for-4, scored three runs, and drove in two. Anne-Elise Gest and Marissa Hawkins each scored three runs for the Vikings.
Amber Stewart got the win in the circle, working 4 2/3 innings. She allowed six runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three. Emily Smith got the save, pitching 1 1/3 innings in relief. She didn't walk a batter and struck out three.
Aiello opened the game with a double down the right field line and scored on an RBI single from Hawkins. Stone scored Hawkins with an RBI triple and stole home to take a 3-0 Viking lead at the end of the first inning. Stone later scored on a sac fly RBI from Andrea Rodriguez to lead 4-0 after three innings.
Aiello doubled again in the fourth inning, followed by a Gest walk. A Presentation error allowed Hawkins to reach and load the bases. Stone, Perryman, Crocker all singled to drive in four more runs and hold an 8-0 Viking lead at the end of the fourth.
Presentation then scored all six runs in the top of the fifth. Camille Vestal opened scoring with a solo home run over the left field fence. Hannah Larson and Ashleigh Wong also homered in the inning to close the gap to 8-6.
Aiello led off the fifth inning with her third double of the day and scored on another Saints error. Riley Perryman hit a three-run home run to lead 12-6 at the end of the fifth, and Gest put it away in the sixth with a two-run homer to finish the game 14-6 by run rule.
The Vikings finished with 14 runs on 17 hits and just one error in the game. Presentation scored six runs on eight hits and committed four errors Thursday.
