TUCSON, ARIZ. – The Valley City State softball team dropped a pair of games Wednesday in Tucson. The Vikings fell in a 10-inning battle with Cottey College 18-12, and lost 7-1 to Doane University.
VCSU rounds out its Tucson trip going 1-7 with three of its losses going to extra innings. VCSU previously defeated Cottey College 7-1 on Monday as senior pitcher
Joelle Lamontagne tossed a complete game with seven strikeouts. The Vikings are 6-14 overall heading into the conference schedule.
VCSU is scheduled to open conference play March 25-26 with a four-game series at Dickinson State.
Cottey College 18, VCSU 12 (10 innings)
Valley City State erased a 10-4 deficit in the bottom of the seventh, helped by a
Marissa Hawkins grand slam, to send its game against Cottey College to extra innings. Each team scored a run in the eighth and ninth innings, but the Comets brought around six runs in the 10th inning as the Vikings fell short in the late rally.
Cottey's Lauren Johnson produced a bases-clearing double and Aryana Palencia added a 2-run homer to pull away in the 10th.
VCSU finished the game with 12 runs on 13 hits and committed three errors Wednesday. Cottey ended with 18 runs on 20 hits and tallied four errors in the field.
Hawkins and
Riley Perryman had three hits apiece to lead the Vikings. Hawkins added a grand slam and Perryman doubled twice.
Sierra Crocker and
Makenzee Stone each added two hits, including a double apiece, and
Alyssa DePoorter added a solo home run for VCSU.
Joelle Lamontagne got the loss in the circle after tossing 3 innings in relief. She allowed five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out one.
Maddy Zander started for the Vikings and worked 4 and 2/3 innings, and
Brooke Gaudry pitched 2 and 1/3 relief innings.
Cottey's Lacey Cruz got the win after 2 and 2/3 innings of work, allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out two. Alyssa Montoya was 6-for-7 at the plate and scored five runs to lead the Comets.
Doane 7, VCSU 1
The Vikings couldn't find a rally against Doane with its only run coming on an RBI single by
Alyssa DePoorter in the fifth inning.
VCSU tallied nine hits to Doane's seven hits, but couldn't bring its baserunners around to score. DePoorter and
Maddy Zander had two hits each and
Sierra Crocker doubled in the game.
Ashlynne Copinga,
Riley Perryman,
Makenzee Stone and
Saige Forseth each added at hit for the Vikings.
Doane had a big sixth inning, utilizing base hits to bring in six runs, including 2-run singles by Camry Moore and Anna Prauner.
Hawkins got the loss for VCSU after tossing 3 and 2/3 innings. She allowed five runs on four hits while walking four and striking out one. Lamontagne and Gaudry each made a relief appearance for VCSU.
Camry Moore pitched a complete game and picked up the win for Doane. She allowed one run on nine hits while walking zero and striking out three. Moore also led the Tigers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and drove in three runs in the game.
