Presentation Dome Tournament

Saturday…

ABERDEEN, S.D.  (VCSU) – Valley City State’s softball team opened the 2019 season with a pair of wins on Saturday, defeating both Dakota Wesleyan and Presentation College at the PC Dome Classic in Aberdeen, S.D.

Emily Smith and Emilee Wilson combined for a two-hit shutout in game one as VCSU opened the day with a 4-0 win against Dakota Wesleyan. In game two, the Vikings rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Presentation College, 7-4.

Up next: The No. 25-ranked Vikings play No. 24 University of Jamestown on Sunday at 10 a.m. VCSU concludes the tournament against Dakota State at 2 p.m.

VCSU 4, Dakota Wesleyan 0
Emily Smith and Emilee Wilson were lights out in the circle to start the 2019 season. Smith went five shutout innings for the win, allowing just one hit and striking out four. Wilson came on to pitch the final two innings, striking out four and giving up just one hit.

Valley City State opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second. Voni Culp and Autumn Perry reached base on a hit by pitch and walk, and then later came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Tatum Lundin and Jayme Menard‘s RBI single.

Kadie Anderson added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning, blasting a two-run home run to left field for a 4-0 lead. The Vikings finished with seven hits, compared to just two by the Tigers. Neither team committed an error.

Culp went 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of runs, while Joelle Aiello was 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot. Riley Perryman, Anderson and Menard each had one hit.

VCSU 7, Presentation College 4
The Vikings rallied from a 4-0 deficit in game two, taking the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Presentation College scored all four of its runs in the top of the first inning, touching Viking starter Amber Stewart for five hits and four runs. Freshman Emilee Wilson came on in relief to get the final out of the inning, and then was lights out the rest of the way for the Vikings.

Wilson earned her first collegiate win with 6 1/3 shutout innings in relief. She struck out six, did not walk anyone and allowed just two hits. Wilson set down the final 15 batters in order, allowing the Viking offense to rally back for the victory. For the second game in a row, VCSU’s defense did not commit an error.

The Vikings started their comeback in the bottom of the first inning when Voni Culp tripled and then scored on Emily Smith‘s sacrifice fly. VCSU cut the deficit to 4-3 with a pair of runs in the second inning. Three straight one-out singles loaded the bases and then Joelle Aiello delivered a two-out, two-run single to score Autumn Perry and Kadie Anderson.

VCSU took the lead with three more runs in the fifth inning. Riley Perryman‘s one-out single to center field was misplayed, allowing Culp and Smith to score for a 5-4 lead. Marissa Hawkins later singled home Perryman to put the Vikings ahead 6-4. Jayme Menard doubled and scored for an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.

Aiello led the Viking offense with three hits and two RBIs, pacing an 11-hit performance for VCSU. Marissa Hawkins added a pair of hits and an RBI, and six different Vikings had one hit each.

 

Sunday…

ABERDEEN, S.D. (VCSU) – The Viking softball team completed a weekend sweep Sunday at the Presentation College Dome Classic.

Valley City State defeated both Jamestown and Dakota State University on Sunday, completing a perfect 4-0 start to the season at the two-day tournament.

The Vikings, ranked No. 25 in the NAIA, started the day with a 5-1 victory over No. 24-ranked University of Jamestown. In their tournament finale, Valley City State pulled away late in a 13-4 win over Dakota State.

Up next: Valley City State (4-0) will be back in Aberdeen for four more games next weekend at the Presentation College Dome. The Vikings are scheduled to play Dakota Wesleyan and Dordt College on Friday, and Mount Marty and Northern State on Saturday.

VCSU 5, University of Jamestown 1
The Vikings won the Top 25 battle to start the day Sunday, racking up 14 hits in the 5-1 victory.

Freshman Marissa Hawkins started the scoring early for VCSU, blasting a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning to give VCSU an early 2-0 lead. That’s all the run support Viking starter Emily Smith would need.

The junior right-hander allowing just three hits and one run in five strong innings. Smith walked two and struck out five for her second win of the season. Freshman Emilee Wilson pitched two shutout innings in relief, giving up just one hit and striking out four.

Smith doubled and scored in the third inning to make it 3-0. After Jamestown plated one run in the top of the fifth, Autumn Perry responded with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the inning, pushing the Viking lead to 5-1.

Smith was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs for the Vikings. Perry finished the game 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, and Hawkins went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs. Five other Vikings had a hit in the game.

VCSU 13, Dakota State University 4
The Vikings pounded out 12 hits and 13 runs in the tournament finale, rolling to a 13-4 victory over Dakota State University.

VCSU led 5-3 before breaking the game open with five runs in the top of the fifth inning – including a 3-run home run from Tatum Lundin that put VCSU ahead 10-3.

The Vikings had another 3-run home run early in the game, getting the big blast from Marissa Hawkins for a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Hawkins drove in five runs in the game, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate and scoring two runs. Lundin was 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs, while Emily Smith went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and three RBIs. Keana Harmon added two hits and a pair of RBIs.

Smith started in the circle for VCSU, allowing three hits and two runs over 2 1/3 innings. Emilee Wilson earned the win in relief after pitching 4 1/3 innings. Wilson gave up just four hits and one run while striking out five.

Dakota State scored its four runs on eight hits. Each team committed one error.