MINOT – The Valley City State softball team opened its season Saturday with a 2-1 record at the Minot Dome Tournament.
 
VCSU opened the day with a 17-12 victory over NCAA Div. II school University of Mary in the season opener. The Vikings then fell to Carroll College 7-6 and defeated Dakota Wesleyan 12-9.
 
Sierra Crocker paced the Vikings and went 7-for-12 at the plate with three doubles, six RBIs and three runs scored on the day. Maddy Zander added five hits, a home run, six RBIs and scored two runs Saturday.

Joelle Lamontagne picked up both of VCSU's wins in the circle and Brooke Gaudry recorded a save.

VCSU rounds out the weekend against tournament-host Minot State on Sunday at 3 p.m.
 
VCSU 17, University of Mary 12
Valley City State used an 8-run fourth inning including home runs by Maddy Zander and Alyssa DePoorter to lift the Vikings over the Marauders in Saturday's season opener.
 
Sierra Crocker drove in five runs, including an RBI double in the first inning to open scoring in the game. The Vikings posted three more in the third inning before the Marauders found an 8-run rally in the top of the fourth.
 
VCSU responded with its big inning and sealed the win with another run in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth capped by Crocker's RBI single down the right field line.
 
Crocker went 4-for-5 at the plate with two doubles, five RBIs and one run. Alyssa DePoorter went 3-for-3 with a home run, one RBI and three runs scored, and Maddy Zander had two hits, a home run, five RBIs and a run. Ashlynne Copinga stole four bases and scored four runs for VCSU.
 
Joelle Lamontagne got the win in the circle after 4 innings of work. She allowed 11 runs on 11 hits while walking two and striking out five. Brooke Gaudry got the save, working 3 innings and allowing just one run on one hit. Gaudry walked four and struck out two.
 
 
Carroll College 7, VCSU 6
In its second game of the day, VCSU was playing from behind and ultimately fell short of Carroll College, 7-6.
 
Carroll posted a pair of runs in the first inning and expanded its lead with four more in the second.
 
Saige Forseth drove in Makenzee Stone in both the second and third innings, and DePoorter was hit by a pitch to drive in Crocker in the third. After three innings, VCSU trailed 6-3.
 
The Vikings closed the gap to 6-5 with an RBIs from Crocker and Stone, but Carroll scored again in the fifth inning to lead 7-5. Riley Perryman then tripled in the sixth and scored on a throwing error, but VCSU could get no closer.
 
Forseth, Crocker and Marissa Hawkins each tallied two hits and all doubled in the game. Forseth drove in two runs while Perryman and Stone each scored twice.
 
Hawkins got the loss in the circle after 1 and 2/3 innings of work. She allowed six runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two. Zander worked 4 and 1/3 innings in relief, allowing one run on four hits, walking five and striking out three.
 
VCSU 12, Dakota Wesleyan 9
VCSU capped the day with a 12-6 victory over Dakota Wesleyan, helped by a big fourth inning that allowed the Vikings to turn a 6-3 deficit around. Riley Perryman hit a 3-run home run and Makenzee added a 2-run double to highlight a 6-run inning that gave VCSU a 9-6 lead.
 
The Vikings then added 3 more runs in the fifth to lead 12-6. Dakota Wesleyan added three more runs including a two-out RBI triple by Meghan Daffern in the bottom of the seventh, but Gaudry worked out of the inning to finish the game.
 
Maddy Zander, Ashlynne Copinga and Marissa Hawkins each tallied three hits in the game. Copinga and Hawkins scored two runs apiece and Hawkins added two RBIs. Riley Perryman hit a home run, scored two runs and drove in four.
 
Joelle Lamontagne got the win after pitching 5 innings. She allowed six earned runs on 10 hits, three home runs while walking two and striking out four. Brooke Gaudry tossed 2 innings in relief and allowed two runs on four hits and walked one.