FOREST CITY, IOWA – The Valley City State softball team swept its tripleheader at Waldorf Tuesday, amassing 57 hits and scoring 62 runs through 15 innings.
 
VCSU hit nine home runs on the day including a grand slam from Maerin Dartnell. Saige Forseth paced the Vikings offensively, batting .786 on the day with 11 hits, three home runs, one double, 11 RBIs and nine runs scored. Sierra Crocker hit .600 Tuesday with six hits, three home runs, one double, six runs and 12 RBIs Tuesday.
 
VCSU takes the series 3-0 over Waldorf. The series finale scheduled on Wednesday has been canceled due to forecasted weather and will not be made up. With the series sweep, VCSU improves to 12-15 overall and 4-3 in the NSAA. Waldorf drops to 1-13 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
 
VCSU 28, Waldorf 2 (5 innings)
VCSU smashed 25 hits in Tuesday's series opener and its 28 runs scored is a VCSU single-game record since at least 2005. The Vikings exploded for 10 runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, including Dartnell's grand slam.
 
The Vikings hit six home runs in the game, including two apiece from Dartnell and Forseth, and one each by Crocker and Kennadi Stone. Saige Forseth led the charge for the Vikings, going 5-for-6 at the plate with two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored. Logan Gronberg added three hits, scored four runs and drove in four.
 
Dartnell was 4-for-5 with two home runs, a double, scored four runs and drove in four. Crocker finished with a home run and a double in the game, driving in four runs and scoring two. Kennadi Stone was 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBI.
 
Gronberg got the win for VCSU after pitching all 5 innings. She allowed just one earned run on four hits while walking one and striking out six.
 
Waldorf's Makenzie Cope got the loss for Waldorf after starting in the circle and pitching 1 and 2/3 innings. She allowed 14 runs on 10 hits, including three home runs. She walked six batters in the loss. Alyssa Oswald tossed 3 and 1/3 innings and allowed 14 runs on 15 hits and three home runs.
 
Kyleigh Morris led the Warriors with two hits in the game.
 
VCSU 16, Waldorf 1 (5 innings)
The Vikings stayed hot into the second game of the day, posting seven runs in the first inning en route to a 16-1 win in five innings. Leading 9-1 heading into the fifth inning, the Vikings erupted for seven more runs including a 3-run homer by Crocker to take the commanding win.
 
Crocker added two more home runs in the second game of the day and finished with six RBI and three runs scored. Makenzee Stone went 3-for-4 at the plate, scored two runs and drove in one. Kennadi Stone scored three runs and Andrea Rodriguez scored twice.
 
Joelle Lamontagne got the win in the circle after pitching all 5 innings. She allowed just one run on four hits while walking two and striking out six.
 
Waldorf's Mckenna Mentink got the loss after pitching just 2/3 of an inning. She allowed seven runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Maddie Dalke and Alyssa Oswald each made a relief appearance in the circle.
 
Jenna Busch and Timber Oakes each doubled in the game, and Madison Clark scored the Warriors' only run.
 
VCSU 18, Waldorf 1 (5 innings)
VCSU finished the day strong as Maddy Zander allowed just two Waldorf hits and struck out five batters in the win. The Viking offense produced 19 hits and scored 18 runs to round out the series sweep.
 
Forseth put the Vikings on the board in the first inning with a 2-run home run to open scoring. Waldorf responded with an unearned run in the bottom half of the inning but that's all the Vikings would allow in the game.
 
VCSU found a rally to score six runs in the third inning and seven runs in the fifth inning to cap the game decided by mercy rule.
 
Forseth was 4-for-4 in the series finale with a home run, a double, four runs scored and four RBIs. Diemert went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs, and Skylar Spessard added two hits, three runs and two RBIs. Crocker and Zander each added two hits in the game and MacKenzie Rist tripled, while Crocker and Alyssa DePoorter each drove in a pair of runs.
 
Dalke got the loss for Waldorf after starting in the circle and working 3 complete innings. She allowed 11 runs on 13 hits, walked two and struck out one. Cope pitched 2 innings in relief and allowed seven runs on six hits and walked one batter. Gabby Bierly finished with a hit and scored Waldorf's lone run.