VALLEY CITY – The Valley City State softball team split Sunday's doubleheader with Dickinson, finishing with a split 2-2 series with the Blue Hawks over the weekend. VCSU dropped Sunday's opener, 10-5 in 8 innings, and came back to take the series finale, 8-6.
VCSU is now 22-19 on the season and 14-5 in the conference. The Vikings are one win away from clinching the No. 2 seed for the NSAA Postseason. Dickinson finishes the regular season 20-22 overall and 15-9 in the conference.
UP NEXT: VCSU closes out the regular season with a 4-game series at Mayville April 27-28.
Dickinson 10, VCSU 5 (8 innings)
The Vikings battled from behind to send Sunday's first game into extra innings when Dickinson erupted for five runs in the eighth to take the game, 10-5.
Dickinson totaled 12 hits in the game and opened with a 4-0 lead after four innings. Blue Hawk pitcher Dallis Mitchell allowed the first Viking hit in the fourth inning on
Kennadi Stone's single up the middle.
From there, VCSU found five runs in the final two innings including a 2-run single by
Logan Gronberg in the sixth.
Kennadi Stone delivered the game-tying RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. The Blue Hawks found five runs in the eighth inning, including a 2-run double by Kiley Hubby.
Logan Gronberg got the loss for VCSU after pitching 3 and 2/3 relief innings. She allowed three runs on four hits and walked two.
Maddy Zander started in the circle and reentered the game in the eighth inning for 4 complete innings. She allowed seven runs on eight hits while walking five and striking out three.
Rhyan Sigmeth also made an appearance to record the final out for the Vikings.
Kennadi Stone went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, one run scored and one RBI.
Ashlyn Diemert added two hits, scored a run and drove in one. Gronberg,
Saige Forseth,
Alyssa DePoorter and
Avery Kuklinski each added a hit for the Vikings. Gronberg drove in two runs while Kuklinski scored two and DePoorter scored one.
Dickinson's Mitchell, Cassy Loa, Kiley Hubby and Jessa Duggan totaled two hits and two RBI apiece. HaiLeigh Davis scored a team-best two runs for the Blue Hawks. Dallis Mitchell pitched 7 and 1/3 innings for the win in the circle. She allowed four runs, only one of which was earned, on seven hits and did not walk a single batter. Allison Eldridge tossed 2/3 of an inning in relief and allowed one run on two hits.
VCSU 8, Dickinson 6
VCSU and Dickinson traded leads in the second game until the Vikings drew three straight bases-loaded walks in the fourth inning to take over the lead for good and secured the 8-6 win.
Dickinson scored a pair of runs to open the game, but VCSU responded with three in the bottom half of the inning including a 2-run homer by
Logan Gronberg.
Kara Conway then hit a 2-run home run as Dickinson took back the lead in the second inning. Gronberg closed the gap in the third inning with a solo shot on the first pitch of her at-bat to trail 5-4. Later in the fourth inning, the Vikings loaded the bases and drew three straight walks to take over the lead for good and finished with the 8-6 win.
Rhyan Sigmeth picked up her first win after starting in the circle and tossing 5 innings. She allowed six runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out six.
Joelle Lamontagne earned her first save of the season after 2 innings in relief, walking two and striking out two.
Gronberg went 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs and four RBI. Sigmeth also went 3-for-3 at the plate and
Alyssa DePoorter was 2-for-2.
Sierra Crocker drove in two runs and
Ashlyn Diemert scored two for the Vikings.
Dickinson's Jessa Duggan went 3-for-4 at the plate while Hubby and Conway each went 2-for-4. Conway drove in two runs and scored one for the Blue Hawks. Alexa Kappel got the loss for Dickinson after pitching 3 innings. She allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out two. Hope Fath and Reannan Butler each made a relief appearance for Dickinson State.
