BELLEVUE, NEB. – Sierra Crocker's home run in extra innings gave the Valley City State softball team a 2-1 win over Bellevue in Saturday's series finale. The Vikings fell 6-1 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
Crocker led the Vikings at the plate with four hits Saturday and drove in two of VCSU's three runs on the day. VCSU is now 9-15 overall and 1-3 in conference play while Bellevue is 12-13 on the season and 3-1 in the North Star.
 
VCSU continues conference play March 23-24 at Waldorf University.
 
Bellevue 6, VCSU 1
Bellevue took a 6-1 win to open Saturday's doubleheader with the help of a 3-run homer by Alexa Sidel in the second inning to put the Bruins on the board early.
 
The Bruins added to the lead with Myla Beckstrom's 2-run double in the fourth inning to hold a 6-0 advantage. Crocker drove in Kennadi Stone on a 2-out single in the fifth, but the Vikings couldn't erase the deficit.
 
Crocker went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead VCSU's offense. Ashlyn Diemert, Alyssa DePoorter and Kennadi Stone each added a hit for the Vikings.
 
Maddy Zander got the loss for VCSU after starting in the circle and working 1 and 2/3 innings. She allowed four runs on three hits while walking five and striking out two. Logan Gronberg pitched 2 innings in relief and allowed one run on three hits while walking one and striking out two. Rhyan Sigmeth tossed 2 and 1/3 innings and allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out three.
 
Katie Cunningham went the distance for Bellevue, picking up the win in the circle. She allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out five. Atiana Rodriguez and Madison Machacek each finished with two hits for Bellevue.
 
VCSU 2, Bellevue 1 (8 innings)
VCSU came from behind to force extra innings en route to a 2-1 road win in the series finale. Joelle Lamontagne battled Bellevue pitchers Ellie Zoucha and Cory Carrillo in the low scoring affair. Lamontagne pitched the complete game for the Vikings while striking out eight batters and walking seven.
 
Bellevue scored in the third inning after Atiana Rodriguez led off with a triple. Madison Machacek drove her in at the next at-bat.
 
After a Bellevue pitching change in the top of the sixth inning, Makenzee Stone drove in Amanda Hiner to tie the game at 1-1 where it would remain at the end of 7 innings.
 
Sierra Crocker broke the tie in the top of the eighth with a leadoff home run to give VCSU its first lead of the game. It would be enough as Lamontagne and the Vikings worked out of the inning to secure its first win in conference play.
 
Crocker was 2-for-4 at the plate including her first home run of the season and the 27^th home run of her career. Makenzee Stone and Avery Kuklinski each added two hits while Ellie Braaten and Skylar Spessard added one hit apiece. Crocker and Hiner each scored a run for VCSU.
 
Carrillo got the loss for Bellevue after allowing 2 runs on four hits. She struck out one batter in 3 relief innings. Zoucha started in the circle and did not allow a single run in 4 innings pitched while striking out three. Bellevue's pitchers did not walk a single batter Saturday. Sidel and Cunningham each finished with two hits for the Bruins.