MADISON, S.D. – The Valley City State softball team swept its season-opening games at Dakota State Thursday after smashing 24 hits on the day.
 
VCSU's defense held the Trojans to just three runs Thursday while winning the first game 10-1 and the second game 7-2. The Vikings improve to 13-12 on the season and open its NSAA schedule with a 2-0 mark. Dakota State drops to 4-19 overall and 0-2 in the conference.
 
VCSU rounds out the series at Dakota State with another doubleheader on Friday slated for 12/2 p.m.
 
VCSU 10, Dakota State 1
VCSU totaled 12 hits in the first game of the conference season en route to a 10-1 win over Dakota State. The Vikings kicked off scoring in the first inning on Kylee Banerd's solo homer to right-center field. The big inning also featured a bases-clearing double from Maddy Zander to highlight an early 7-0 lead for the Vikings.
 
The Trojans got on the board with a Jeffries sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, and VCSU added a run in the fifth on Madison Hazelton's RBI single to lead 8-1. The Vikings found a pair of runs in the seventh to hold off the Trojans with a final score of 10-1.
 
Zander allowed just one run on three hits in the game after starting in the circle and pitching 5 innings. She walked six and struck out six. Cooper Klaahsen pitched 2 innings in relief and allowed just two hits while striking out one.
 
Logan Gronberg led the Vikings with three hits on the day while Banerd, Zander and Alyssa DePoorter each added two. Zander drove in a team-high three runs and Banerd drove in two, while Ashlyn Diemert and Avery Kuklinski each swiped the place twice.
 
Katie Hansen was 2-for-3 at the plate for the Trojans while Hannah McFarland drew a pair of walks. Mason Usselman got the loss in the circle after allowing seven runs on six hits after pitching 2/3 of an inning.
 
VCSU 7, Dakota State 2
The Vikings then defeated the Trojans 7-2 in the second game of the doubleheader, using a 6-run second inning to build a lead they wouldn't give up the rest of the way.
 
After Dakota State posted a run in the first inning, VCSU totaled six runs on five hits to take over the lead. The inning was highlighted by a 2-run double from Diemert and a 2-run triple by Makenzee Stone.
 
The Trojans scored one more on Jordyn Jeffries' RBI triple in the third inning, and VCSU added another on Makenzee Stone's RBI single in the seventh inning.  
 
M. Stone went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and one run scored. Gronberg finished with three hits in the game while Diemert added two. DePoorter added a double and Kennadi Stone scored two runs for VCSU.
 
Hazelton pitched a complete game while allowing just two runs on five hits. She walked five and struck out three.
 
Makenna McGee got the loss for Dakota State after starting in the circle and pitching 1 and 2/3 innings. She allowed six runs on five hits and walked one batter. Jeffries drove in both of Dakota State's runs and Quincy Hartley added a double in the game.