AUBURNDALE, FLA. – The Valley City State baseball team completed it spring road trip to Florida with a pair of losses during a doubleheader against Northwestern College on Saturday.
 
Northwestern erupted for 21 hits and 18 runs in game one, and then won a pitcher’s duel in game two as the Red Raiders swept the doubleheader by scores of 18-1 and 4-0.
 
VCSU is now 8-13 overall and finishes its spring trip with a 4-7 record during 11 games in Florida.
 
Up next: The Vikings begin conference play with a four-game road series at preseason conference favorite Bellevue University. The Bruins were ranked No. 7 in the nation in the NAIA’s Preseason Top 25 Poll. The Vikings and Bruins will play doubleheaders March 15 and 16 in Bellevue, Neb.
 
Northwestern 18, VCSU 1
Northwestern’s offense carried game one as the Red Raiders collected 21 total hits in the 7-inning game.
 
Both teams plated a single run in the first inning with VCSU’s Kaden Rozdeba tying the game at 1-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Northwestern took control with an 8-run outburst in the third inning.
 
VCSU was limited to three total hits coming from Jaden Babiuk, Hunter Logan and Rozdeba.
 
Jacob Marx took the loss, working 2 1/3 innings on the mound to start the game. Riley Resnick, Brendan Berk, Jay Mendez and Keeton Clark all pitched in relief.
 
Northwestern 4, VCSU 0
The teams settled into a pitcher’s duel in game two with just 8 total hits in Northwestern’s 4-0 win. The Red Raiders scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the first inning off VCSU starter Jacob Hendrickson. Takao Cookson came on in relief and shut Northwestern down over the final 5 1/3 innings, but the Viking offense was kept quiet by Northwestern pitcher Brad Tornow.
 
Tornow pitched a complete-game shutout, giving up just two hits and striking out 16.
 
VCSU’s two hits came from Tory Nelson and Kaden Rozdeba.
 
Cookson pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings for VCSU, scattering three hits and striking out six.
 
Rochester 14, VCSU 2 (Friday)
Both teams managed six hits in the game, but Rochester took advantage of free bases to push across 14 runs in a 14-2 victory. The game ended after eight innings due to run rule.
 
VCSU pitchers combined to walk 13 batters and hit 3 batters. Eight of those runners would eventually score for Rochester.
 
Six different Vikings had one hit each, including a pinch-hit RBI single by Kaden Rozdeba. Jamel Chabot had a double for VCSU’s only extra-base hit.
 
Kahlil Tilbury took the loss after starting on the mound. Tilbury went 2 2/3 innings, giving up three hits and five runs. He walked seven and struck out four. Jarrett Faue, Keeton Clark and Garrett Dykstra all pitched in relief.