TUCSON, ARIZ. – The Valley City State softball team went 2-1 Saturday at the Tucson Invitational Games including an impressive win over No. 4 Northwestern. VCSU also defeated St. Francis while falling to Concordia (Mich.) Saturday.

VCSU's Maddy Zander earned two wins in the pitcher's circle Saturday while Logan Gronberg totaled seven hits, three doubles and six RBIs on the day.
 
VCSU improves to 7-8 on the season and plays two more games in Tucson on Sunday. The Vikings face former NSAA member Viterbo at 11 a.m. CT and Park University (Mo.) at 1 p.m. CT.
 
Concordia 2, VCSU 1
Valley City State fell to Concordia University to open play Saturday at the Tucson Invitational Games. The game was resumed in the top of the third inning with Concordia holding a 1-0 lead after the game was called off due to rain and field conditions on Friday.
 
VCSU recorded four hits in the game including doubles from Madison Hazelton and Logan Gronberg. Banerd and DePoorter each added a hit for the Vikings, and Gronberg drove in Hazelton for VCSU's lone run of the game.
 
Maddy Zander got the loss in the circle after starting in the circle and pitching 5 complete innings. She allowed two runs on six hits, walked one and struck out four. Hazelton tossed 2 innings in relief, did not allow a single hit or walk while striking out three.
 
Concordia totaled six hits in the game led by Payton Lewis who was 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI.
 
VCSU 7, No. 4 Northwestern 4
The Vikings bounced back with a clutch victory over the No. 4-ranked team in the nation Northwestern. VCSU held Northwestern to just four hits in the game while smashing 10 of its own.
 
Kennadi Stone helped the effort with a 3-run homer in the third inning. After the Red Raiders tied the game at 4-4, Maddy Zander pitched three shutout innings in relief, and VCSU's offense pulled through in the final innings to hold on for the win.
 
With the game tied and two outs and one runner in scoring position in the fifth inning, Katelyn MacNeill delivered an RBI single to score the go-ahead run. MacNeill then stole second to get into scoring position and scored on Ashlyn Diemert's RBI single to right field. Diemert continued the aggressive offense by stealing second, but would be stranded there at the end of the fifth as VCSU held a 6-4 lead. The Vikings added an insurance run in the sixth on DePoorter's sacrifice fly and its defense staved off Northwestern in the final inning.
 
DePoorter and Gronberg each finished with two hits Saturday. DePoorter and Hazelton each doubled, and Kennadi Stone homered. Hazelton and DePoorter each swiped the plate twice for VCSU. Zander earned the win in the circle after pitching 3 shutout innings in relief. She allowed just one hit, one walk, and struck out one. Hazelton started in the circle and pitched 4 innings while allowing four runs on three hits, walking five and striking out six.
 
VCSU 8, St. Francis 7
Valley City State came out ahead in a close game against St. Francis with a dominating game from Logan Gronberg who totaled four hits, two doubles and five RBIs Saturday.
 
The game teetered back and forth after VCSU opened with an early lead on Gronberg's 2-run double in the first inning. Kylee Banerd and Gronberg each added an RBI single to help expand the Viking lead to 4-1 in the middle of the second inning.
 
St. Francis tied the game up at 4-4 in the third inning with the help of a Rose Mwaro 2-run double, but Kennadi Stone had the answer in an RBI single up the middle to take back the 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Emily Hurst smashed a 3-run home run to sway the game in favor of St. Francis, 7-5.
 
The Vikings responded once again in the fifth inning, tying the game with an RBI triple from Banerd followed by an RBI double fron Gronberg. The sixth would be the only inning that both teams would go scoreless. Knotted up 7-7 in seventh inning with two outs, VCSU's Banerd drew a walk and advanced on a passed ball to reach scoring position. Gronberg drove her in on a single to right-centerfield to grab a late 8-7 lead. Zander then retired three straight batters to hang on for the win.
 
VCSU totaled 14 hits in the game led by four by Gronberg and two apiece from Hazelton, Banerd and MacNeill. Banerd tripled, swiped the plate three times and drove in two runs.
 
Zander earned her second win of the day after pitching 3 and 2/3 innings in relief. She allowed just three hits and struck out six while not allowing a single run or walk. Cooper Klaahsen started in the circle and worked 3 and 1/3 innings. She allowed seven runs on ten hits and walked two.