BELLEVUE, NEB. ­– The Valley City State baseball team squared off against the No. 9-ranked Bellevue Bruins on Friday during the first half of a four-game series in Omaha, Neb.
 
The Vikings got a strong pitching performance from Hunter Magnuson and Adam Thompson hit a go-ahead home run as the Vikings held a ninth-inning lead in game one before Bellevue rallied for a 5-4 win in extra innings. In game two, the Bruins picked up an 11-2 victory.
 
Dustin Mertz hit two home runs in the doubleheader, and Jaden Babiuk had a hit in both games to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.
 
Up next: Valley City State and Bellevue will play two more games Saturday in Omaha. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled to be at 5 p.m., or about 30 minutes after the conclusion of a high school game being played on the field that afternoon. VCSU is the home team for the four-game series, which was originally scheduled to be played in Valley City.
 
Bellevue 5, VCSU 4 (10 innings)
The Vikings led most of the game against the No. 9-ranked Bruins in the opening game Friday. Leading 4-3 entering the ninth inning, Valley City State had the Bruins on the ropes before Bellevue tied the game with a solo home run and later won it in the 10^th inning with another solo home run.
 
Valley City State struck first with a pair of runs in the second inning, taking a 2-0 lead on a solo home run by Dustin Mertz and an RBI single by Tory Nelson.
 
Bellevue tied the game up with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and then took a 3-2 lead with a single run in the top of the seventh. Valley City State responded in the bottom of the seventh as Adam Thompson hit a go-ahead 2-run home run, scoring himself and Shane Nixon for a 4-3 lead.
 
Valley City State had a chance to close the game out in the ninth but Bellevue's Jake Lacey tied the game with a solo home run. Bellevue took the lead in the 10th with another solo home run by Eric Anderson. VCSU's Dustin Mertz doubled with one out in the bottom of the 10^th, putting the tying run in scoring position for VCSU, but the Vikings could not extend the game.
 
Hunter Magnuson started on the mound for VCSU and kept the Bruin offense in check allowing just six hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked four. Keeton Clark came on in relief to work out of a jam in the seventh inning. Dustin Mertz pitched the final three innings for VCSU, taking the loss after giving up five hits and the two solo home runs. He struck out one and did not walk a batter.
 
Mertz and Thompson each had three hits in the game. Thompson went 3-for-5 with his 2-run home run, and Mertz was 3-for-5 with a solo home run. Jaden Babiuk extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a 2-for-5 performance. Shane Nixon, Tory Nelson and Christian Ramirez all had one hit.
 
Both teams had 11 hits and one error in the game.
 
Bellevue 11, VCSU 2
The Bruins scored 11 runs in game two, finishing with 13 hits in the second half of the doubleheader. Valley City State scored its two runs on a two-run home by Dustin Mertz – his second of the day.
 
Ryan Reynolds had pair of doubles, and both Adam Thompson and Jaden Babiuk each had a hit.
 
Daniel Alvarado started on the mound and pitched four innings for the Vikings, scattering seven hits and five runs. Keeton Clark, Devon Cook and Ryan Reynolds all pitched in relief. 

VCSU's defense converted a triple play in the top of the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, VCSU first baseman Ryan Reynold snared a line drive, tagged the runner at first and then fired the ball to second base to double-off the other runner.