TUCSON, ARIZ. – The Valley City State softball team dropped its finale at the Tucson Invitational Games Thursday, falling 7-2 to Concordia (Neb.).
 
VCSU's second game of the day was canceled in the second inning due to heavy rain as the Vikings were leading 1-0. It will not count as an official game and will not be made up. VCSU finishes its spring trip with a 3-6 record at the Tucson Invitational Games and is now 8-12 overall.
 
Valley City State tallied 11 hits Thursday, including a home run from Maerin Dartnell, but it wasn't enough as Concordia's Jennifer Katz tripled twice and drove in three runs to lift the Bulldogs over the Vikings, 7-2.
 
Concordia scored five runs in the fourth inning, four of which were scored with two outs, to build a 7-0 lead. VCSU's Dartnell then homered to lead off the fifth inning. Saige Forseth would later score in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Bulldog error, but it wouldn't be enough to erase the deficit.
 
Forseth, Logan Gronberg and Alyssa DePoorter tallied two hits apiece while Forseth and Ashlyn Diemert each doubled for VCSU. Joelle Lamontagne got the loss after pitching 3 and 2/3 innings. She allowed seven runs on nine hits and struck out five. Maddy Zander tossed 2 and 1/3 innings in relief and allowed just one hit and recorded one strikeout.
 
Concordia's Megan Eurich pitched a complete game and got the win in the circle. She allowed two runs on 11 hits and struck out four.
 
Aubrey Bruning finished with two hits and scored two runs, and Laycee Josoff added a 2-run single for the Bulldogs.
 
UP NEXT: VCSU opens conference play with a 4-game series slated for March 16-17 at Bellevue University. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 2 p.m. and Sunday's doubleheader kicks off at 12 p.m.