SIOUX CENTER, IOWA – The Valley City State softball team swept its Saturday games with wins over Mount Marty and Dordt at the Dordt University Dome.
 
In the first game of the day VCSU tallied 15 hits, five of which were for extra bases, to defeat Mount Marty 11-3. VCSU then came from behind with a sixth inning rally to take a 3-2 win over tournament-host Dordt.
 
VCSU improves to 4-4 on the season and finishes its stint at the Dordt Dome with a 2-2 record. The Vikings compete closer to home next weekend with four games scheduled Feb. 21-22 at the University of Jamestown Dome.
 
VCSU 11, Mount Marty 3
VCSU defeated Mount Marty 11-3 to open play Saturday with the help of 15 hits in the game. Logan Gronberg and Jenna Decker each homered, Madison Hazelton added two doubles and Kylee Banerd doubled once for the Vikings.
 
VCSU opened the game strong with an early 2-run homer on Gronberg's shot over the fence. Hazelton's double scored one and Makenzee Stone added a 2-run single to help VCSU take a 5-0 lead. Mount Marty would respond with one run in the bottom of the inning to trim the deficit.
 
From there, the Vikings added a run on another Hazelton double in the third inning and then erupted for four more runs in the fourth including a leadoff homer from Decker. A Lancer error then allowed three more runs to score, building the Viking lead to 10-1.
 
Mount Marty escaped the game being decided by run rule with two runs in the bottom of the fifth including a two-out home run from Janeah Castro. VCSU added its final run in the seventh inning on an RBI double from Kylee Banerd.
 
The Vikings finished with 11 runs on 15 hits and one error while Mount Marty totaled three runs on three hits with two errors in the game.
 
Hazelton, Stone and Decker each totaled three hits in the game while Hazelton, Stone and Gronberg each drove in two runs and Decker scored three. Hazelton also earned the win for VCSU, working 6 complete innings while allowing three runs on three hits. She walked five and struck out nine. Cooper Klaahsen pitched one inning in relief and did not allow a single hit or walk while striking out one.
 
Mount Marty's Castro homered and Ella Ray tripled while Kayleen Jacinto drove in two runs for the Lancers. Makayla Graunke got the loss after starting in the circle and working three innings. She allowed seven runs on eight hits while walking two. Jacey Hayen and Madison Justesen each made a relief appearance Saturday.
 
VCSU 3, Dordt 2
VCSU came from behind to defeat Dordt University 3-2 in a low scoring affair in its second game of the day. Maddy Zander came out on top of a pitchers' duel over Dordt's Chloe Kreuz, who each pitched complete games. Kreuz pitched five no-hit innings until VCSU broke out with three runs and four hits to come from behind in the sixth inning.
 
Dordt posted one run in the first inning and another in the fourth to hold a narrow lead throughout the game. VCSU's Makenzee Stone broke up Kreuz's no-hitter bid in the sixth inning with a single up the middle to spark the late Viking rally. Katelyn MacNeill then doubled, and Banerd drove the pair in on a triple to right field and tied the game at 2-2. Gronberg scored Banerd with a single up the middle to take over the 3-2 lead. Zander then retired three straight batters in the seventh, including two strikeouts, to earn the win.
 
Zander pitched 7 innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out six. She did not walk a single batter. Stone and Gronberg each had a hit in the game while MacNeill doubled and Banerd tripled for VCSU.
 
Dordt's Kreuz got the loss in the circle after pitching 6 complete innings. She allowed three runs on four hits, walked two and struck out four. Annabelle Hensely doubled twice, scored one run and drove in one.