The Valley City State softball team will return to the NSAA Championship game for the second straight year after the Vikings defeated top-seeded Bellevue University 9-1 in five innings on Sunday.

VCSU's starting pitcher and NSAA Newcomer of the Year Maddy Zander allowed just four hits and one earned run in the game.

VCSU improves to a 27-21 overall record and looks to defend its conference tournament title from last season. Bellevue suffered their first setback in the conference tournament, falling to a 40-11 overall record. 

The NSAA Championship will take place Monday at 1 p.m. CT in Dickinson. No. 2 VCSU will face the No. 1 Bellevue after the Bruins defeated Dickinson State in a loser's out game Sunday afternoon. This will be the third time in the last four seasons that VCSU and Bellevue have met in the NSAA Championship game.

The Vikings took the first lead of the game in the top third inning. Andrea Rodriguez opened with a walk and advanced to third base after Ashlyn Diemert's single. Riley Perryman produced an RBI sacrifice fly to score Rodriguez for a 1-0 lead.

Bellevue tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded walk by Katie Cunningham.

With two outs in the top of the fourth inning, VCSU brought in eight consecutive runs to take the 9-1 lead. Ashlynne Copinga, Ashlyn Diemert and Riley Perryman each had RBI singles and Zander capped the rally with a bases-clearing double.

Zander picked up the complete game victory in five innings while allowing just one run on four hits in the game. She walked seven and struck out two.
 
Zander also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and drove in a game-high three runs. Ashlynne Copinga and Diemert each added two hits and an RBI. Perryman had a hit and two RBI.

Cunningham took the loss for Bellevue, working for 3 and 2/3 innings. She allowed nine runs – five unearned – on seven hits and totaled four strikeouts. Lauren Jurek tossed 1 and 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.
 
At the plate, Cunningham finished the game with a double and an RBI. Reese Floro, Liana McMurtry, and Atiana Rodriguez each added a hit for the Bruins.