The Valley City State softball team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday, defeating University of Mary 4-3 on day two of the Minot State Dome Tournament.
The Vikings trailed 3-1 before rallying with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pick up the victory. Valley City State split its games on Saturday, dropping a 9-1 contest to Minot State later in the day.
Up next: Valley City State (1-2) concludes its weekend in Minot with an 11:30 a.m. game Sunday against Dakota Wesleyan.
VCSU 4, University of Mary 3
Viking senior Marissa Hawkins pitched four scoreless innings in relief, picking up her first collegiate win on Saturday. Hawkins entered with the Vikings trailing 3-1 in the fourth inning and facing a bases-loaded, no outs situation. Hawkins quickly pitched out of the jam with a line-drive double play and a groundout.
The Viking offense came alive in the bottom of the fifth, manufacturing three runs to take a 4-3 lead. Joelle Aiello opened the inning with a single, Riley Perryman walked and then Jessica Husband loaded the bases with a sharp single. All three would eventually come around to score on a bases-loaded walk by Michelle Krahn, a sacrifice fly by Sierra Crocker and an RBI groundout by Alyssa DePoorter.
That's all the run support Hawkins would need as she and the Viking defense allowed just one base runner over the final two innings.
The Vikings tallied six hits and committed just one error. U-Mary finished with 13 hits and no errors.
Joelle Aiello started in the circle for VCSU and pitched into the fourth inning. She scattered 12 hits, gave up three runs and struck out one. Hawkins pitched the final four innings, giving up just one hit and no runs. She walked two and struck out one.
Anne-Elise Gest and Riley Perryman each had two hits. Gest doubled and scored in the third inning for VCSU's first run. Jessica Husband had a hit and an RBI, and Aiello collected VCSU's final hit.
Minot State 9, VCSU 1
Minot State scored nine runs on 11 hits in VCSU's second game of the day, defeating the Vikings 9-1 in five innings.
The Vikings managed just one hit – an RBI double by Anne-Elise Gest that scored Ashlynne Copinga for VCSU's only run.
Brooke Gaudry pitched all five innings for VCSU, allowing 11 hits and nine runs – six of which were earned. She walked nine and struck out four.
