– VCSU Friday Softball & Basketball Results

VCSU Friday Games

Softball…

Two Games

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Valley City State softball team outscored it opponents 15-0 on Friday, sweeping a pair of games at the Presentation College Dome Classic.

The Vikings roped six doubles in game one en route to a 9-0 win over College of Saint Mary. Riley Perryman and Sierra Crocker both homered in game two as the Vikings shut out University of Jamestown, 6-0.

Valley City State’s three pitchers – Amber Stewart, Emily Smith and Joelle Lamontagne – combined to allow no runs and only seven hits over 12 innings of work. They walked only two batters and struck out 17.

The Vikings are now 5-1 this season. VCSU wraps up the PC Dome Classic on Saturday with games against Morningside College (10 a.m.) and Dakota Wesleyan (4 p.m.)

VCSU 9, College of Saint Mary 0
The Vikings made quick work of game one Friday, ending it by run rule after five innings. VCSU’s offense totaled 10 hits – including six doubles.

Back-to-back RBI doubles by Joelle Aiello and Sierra Crocker started the scoring with two runs in the top of the third inning. The Vikings broke the game wide open in the fourth inning with five runs on five hits – including three more doubles by Anne-Elise Gest, Marissa Hawkins and Aiello.

Amber Stewart was lights-out in the circle, going 4 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Stewart gave up just three hits and struck out five. Emily Smith recorded the final two outs with a pair of strikeouts in the fifth inning.

Aiello went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Crocker was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Six other Vikings had a hit in the victory.

VCSU 6, University of Jamestown 0
Riley Perryman hit a 3-run home run in the first inning, and Sierra Crocker went deep with a 2-run blast in the third inning as the Vikings blanked Jamestown, 6-0.

The Vikings struck early on Perryman’s first home run of the season, which came after Autumn Perry and Sierra Crocker drew walks to put runners on base. Crocker’s 2-run shot highlighted a 3-run third inning that put the Vikings ahead 6-0.

That was plenty of offense for VCSU’s pitchers. Joelle Lamontagne started and went 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and a walk. After Jamestown loaded the bases in the second inning, Emily Smith took over in relief and pitched the final 5 1/3 innings. Smith recorded a quick strikeout to work out of the jam and cruised the rest of the way. She gave up three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out nine.

Five different Vikings all had one hit in the victory. Perryman and Crocker combined for five RBIs on their home runs, and Andrea Rodriguez collected the sixth RBI with a third-inning single to score Anne-Elise Gest. Aiello scored twice for VCSU.

Basketball

Women

DICKINSON (VCSU) – The Valley City State women’s basketball team hit a season-high 11 three-pointers to cruise past the Blue Hawks in Friday’s regular season finale, 79-63.

Valley City State and Dickinson State each finish the regular season with an 8-12 overall record and a 6-8 conference record. Valley City State wins the head-to-head tiebreaker to secure the No. 5 seed for the NSAA Tournament. The Vikings will travel to No. 4 Mayville State on Tuesday, Feb. 23, for the opening round. The conference office will release the official NSAA Tournament bracket on Saturday.

Junior forward Alexis Bentz led all scorers off the Viking bench, pouring in a career-high 24 points, including six 3’s. Maara Nelson scored 20 points and dished out a team-high five assists Friday. Senior Macey Kvilvang finished with a double-double, adding 10 points and 12 rebounds while also tallying five blocked shots.

It was all Valley City State Friday night as the Vikings never trailed in the game. The Vikings held the Blue Hawks to just nine points in the third quarter and took a 20-point lead and largest of the game on a three-pointer from Bentz with 9:09 left to play. Dickinson State closed the gap to just nine points on a three-pointer from Sunshine Vicente, but Valley City State sank 9-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes to ice the victory.

“There are not enough words to explain how proud I am of this group. They play with so much grit and determination.” said head coach Vanessa Johnson. “We have more and more players step up in big moments down the stretch and that is how you are going to win in the tournament. It’s a whole new season now, we have to stay focused.”

Valley City State shot 54 percent from the field (27-50), 50 percent on 3’s (11-22), and 82 percent on free throws (14-17). Dickinson State shot 31 percent on field goals (22-70), 26 percent on three-pointers (8-31), and 92 percent from the free throw line (11-12).

The Vikings out rebounded the Blue Hawks 44-29 Friday night. The Blue Hawks tallied 12 steals as a team and committed just 10 turnovers in the game.

Courtney Olson led Dickinson State with 22 points. Shali Sheridan added 16 points and Dakota Dosch scored 12 points off the Blue Hawk bench.

UP NEXT: The No. 5 Vikings travel to No. 4 Mayville State in the opening round of the NSAA Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Game time will be announced Saturday.

Men…

VCSU 78 Dickinson State 69