MITCHELL, S.D. – Some solid pitching and timely hitting led the Valley State University Vikings to a sweep on Sunday of the Dakota Wesleyan Tigers, and a split of the four-game weekend series.

VCSU is 5-4 on the season. Dakota Wesleyan is 2-2

GAME 1: Valley City State 1, Dakota Wesleyan 0
Grady Shipman allowed just one hit and Alexis Velasco did the heavy lifting as the Vikings took game one of the doubleheader and game three of the weekend series with Dakota Wesleyan.

Shipman, a sophomore from Carrington, allowed baserunners in every inning except the sixth but found a way out of each jam leading the Vikings to the one-run win. Shipman's longest string of retiring batters was six and that came late in the game.

While Shipman was keeping the Tigers hitters at bay, Wesleyan's Broc Berry and Lucas Koepsell were holding the Vikings batters quiet as well.

Alexis Velasco led off the top of the sixth inning with a home run to left to account for the only run of the game. Shipman's only 1-2-3 inning came in the bottom of the sixth.

The Tigers put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh with two out before Shipman the final out. The right-hander walked four and struck out nine in the complete game shutout.

Velasco, Hunter Logan, and Brady Papineau each had one hit for the Vikings.

GAME 2: Valley City State 6, Dakota Wesleyan 3
Another solid pitching performance, this time out of the bullpen, for VCSU as the Vikings earned the sweep of Dakota Wesleyan on Sunday and a split of the weekend series.

Jarrett Faue pitched 4 2/3 innings of one-hit, shutout relief to earn the win as the Vikings scored all six runs with two out.

In the top of the second, the Vikings had runners at second and third and one out. Anthony Madsen flew out to right, scoring Brady Papineau with the first run of the game. Cody Wielgosh singled, scoring Cam Pero to make it 2-0 VCSU.

The Tigers tied in the bottom of the second when two runs scored on an error, making 2-2.

The Vikings would regain the lead on Papineau's RBI single, scoring Hunter Logan to make it 3-2 VCSU.

Mason Riley homered in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 3-3.

VCSU took the lead for good in the top of the fifth on Alexis Velasco's sacrifice fly, scoring Wielgosh to make it 4-3.

The Vikings added some insurance runs sin the top of the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and two out, Logan singled, scoring Connor Hoyt. Wielgosh scored on an error on the shortstop on the same play, making the score 6-3.

Faue retired the last nine batters he faced. And thanks to his picking off a runner in the fourth inning, he faced the minimum batters in his relief stint.  

Cody Wielgosh was 2 for 2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Hunter Logan and Brady Papineau were both 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Connor Hoyt, Kaden Rozdeba, Cam Pero, and Nicholas Senn were all 1 for 3. Hoyt and Pero each scored a run.

UP NEXT: Valley City State will return to South Dakota in two weeks for a three-game series with Mount Marty University in Yankton, South Dakota. The Vikings and Lancers will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.