BELLEVUE, NEB. – The Valley City State softball team dropped its conference-opening doubleheader Friday at NSAA favorite Bellevue University. VCSU fell 5-1 in the first game and then dropped its second game to the Bruins, 7-1.
 
The Vikings tallied 11 hits on the day but it wasn't enough for Bellevue whose offense hit a pair of home runs Friday. VCSU is now 8-14 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Bellevue improves to 11-12 overall and 2-0 in the NSAA. VCSU rounds out its series at Bellevue with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Saturday.
 
Bellevue 5, VCSU 1
The Vikings posted six hits to Bellevue's four hits to start the day, but the Bruins brought around five runs, including a solo home run by Alexa Sidel, in the conference opener.
 
Bellevue scored a single run in the second and third innings and then brought around three runs in the fourth, including a 2-run single from Myla Beckstrom, to build a 5-0 lead. Kennadi Stone scored Ashlyn Diemert from second base with a big RBI single to right field in the fifth inning for VCSU's only run of the game.
 
Logan Gronberg got the loss for VCSU after starting in the circle and working 4 complete innings. She allowed five runs on four hits, walked three and struck out five. Maddy Zander pitched 2 innings in relief and did not allow a single hit by the Bruins. She walked two and struck out two.
 
Diemert finished with two hits and one run scored while Makenzee Stone recorded two hits with a double. Kennadi Stone and Alyssa DePoorter added one hit apiece and Kennadi Stone drove in VCSU's run.
 
Bellevue's Katie Cunningham got the win in the circle after pitching all 7 innings. She allowed one run on six hits and struck out nine batters. Cunningham did not walk a single batter in the game.
 
Bellevue 7, VCSU 1
VCSU only managed five hits in the second game as Bellevue recorded seven runs on nine hits to take the Friday sweep.
 
Bellevue held a narrow 1-0 lead after the second inning as the NSAA teams battled in the pitcher's circle early. In the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs, Bellevue's Madison Machacek hit a 2-run home run to lead 3-0.
 
VCSU threatened in the top of the sixth, putting two runners on with just one out. Diemert reached on a fielder's choice that scored Zander. Diemert stole second to get into scoring position but the Bruins escaped the inning with a fly out to hold onto a 3-1 lead.
 
Bellevue scored four more runs in the bottom half of the inning including a 2-run double by Liana McMurtry.
 
Joelle Lamontagne got the loss for VCSU after starting in the circle and working 5 innings. She allowed three runs on six hits, walked three and struck out seven. Zander pitched an inning in relief and allowed three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one.
 
Logan Gronberg doubled in the game while Zander, DePoorter, Andrea Rodriguez and Makenzee Stone each added a hit for VCSU.
 
Samantha Gunn picked up the win for Bellevue after pitching all 7 innings. She allowed one run on five hits while walking two and striking out three. Machacek went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a home run. She drove in four runs and scored two for Bellevue.