BELLEVUE, NEB. – The Valley City State softball team handed Bellevue its first conference loss Sunday in a split doubleheader. Viking seniors Joelle Aiello and Marissa Hawkins also set new school records as a part of Sunday's conference games.
Aiello hit a two-run double on Sunday to set the school record for career doubles. She now totals 53 doubles in the Viking uniform. Hawkins later set the career RBI record on a two-run blast to total 154 RBIs in her VCSU career.
On the day, VCSU took a 7-4 win in the first game and then fell 11-9 in game two. VCSU is now 18-13 on the season and 5-3 in the North Star Athletic Association. Bellevue moves to 21-10 overall and 7-1 in conference play.
UP NEXT: The Vikings are slated to travel to Mayville State on Wednesday, weather permitting. The conference doubleheader is scheduled for 2/4 p.m.
VCSU 7, Bellevue 4
Starting pitcher Joelle Lamontagne picked up her 10th win of the season with the help of a strong VCSU offense that totaled seven runs and nine hits in the game. VCSU scored five runs in the fifth inning to help hand Bellevue its first conference loss on the season.
Aiello led the Vikings with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate including a solo home run and a two-run double in the game. Andrea Rodriguez went 2-for-2 with a two-run double, and Anne-Elise Gest chipped in a two-run single to round out VCSU's scoring. Hawkins and Riley Perryman each added a hit for the Vikings.
Lamontagne worked all seven innings for VCSU, allowing four runs on six hits while walking two and striking out one.
Bellevue's Reese Floro and Allison O'Driscoll each tallied two hits Sunday while Ashley Young and Emily Rochford each homered in the game.
Cory Carillo suffered the loss Sunday, allowing three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out three. Katie Cunningham pitched an inning in relief and Emily Rochford pitched two innings out of the bullpen.
Bellevue 11, VCSU 9
The Vikings and Bruins each scattered 14 hits in the second game of the day as Bellevue used a six-run sixth inning to take the series finale.
The Vikings were playing catch-up right off the bat as Bellevue posted two runs in the first inning, and an RBI single from Ashlyn Diemert in the second inning put the Vikings on the board.
Bellevue scored two more in the third inning and one run in the fourth to hold a 5-2 lead. The Vikings tied the game in the fifth inning with RBI singles from Diemert and Jessica Husband paired with a sac fly from Sierra Crocker.
The Vikings then posted four runs in the top of the sixth to take their first lead of the game thanks to a two-run single to deep center field from Husband and Hawkins' two-run blast.
The Bruins then answered with six runs in the bottom of the inning. Young and Rochford each hit a two-run home run and Lauren Jurek added a two-run single to complete the 11-9 Bruin victory.
Anne-Elise Gest led the Vikings at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one double, one triple and two runs scored. Aiello, Husband, Hawkins, Crocker, and Diemert all had two hits apiece, and Husband drove in three runs for VCSU.
Katie Cunningham got the win in the circle, pitching two innings in relief for Bellevue. She allowed four runs on five hits and walked two. Lauren Jurek started the game and allowed just two runs on five hits and struck out one in three innings of work.
Hawkins got the loss in the circle for VCSU. She pitched one inning in relief, allowing three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out five. Brooke Gaudry started in the circle and went five innings. She allowed eight runs on 11 hits, walked six and struck out four.
