VCSU – VCSU and Dakota State met in a pair of pitcher’s duels during a conference doubleheader in Valley City on Saturday.
 
The two teams combined to score just four total runs over 17 innings of play as Dakota State won by identical scores of 2-0. The Trojans scored single runs in the fifth and seventh innings of game one. In the second game, the Trojans scored their two runs in the 10th inning as they finished the series with an extra-inning victory.
 
With the Saturday sweep, Dakota State won the four-game series, 3-1. Dakota State is now 31-10 overall and 14-2 in conference play. The Trojans are a game back of conference leader Bellevue University. Valley City State moves to 14-25 overall and 6-10 in conference play. The Vikings are currently fifth in the conference standings but are just game back of third place.
 
Up next: Valley City State travels to Dickinson State on Wednesday, April 17, for a non-conference doubleheader. Dakota State hosts Dakota Wesleyan for a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 16.
 
Game 1: Dakota State 2, VCSU 0 (7 innings)
VCSU starter Hunter Magnuson and Dakota State starter Will Clair battled in game one, with both turning in quality starts.
 
Clair picked up his eighth win of the season after throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and striking out eight. JD Kirchner pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the save.
 
Magnuson took the tough loss after going six strong innings for VCSU. He scattered just four hits and allowed one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Magnuson walked two and struck out nine.
 
Cory Brownson plated the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the fifth inning, and then Cameron DeMaria drove in an insurance run in the seventh for Dakota State.
 
The Trojans finished with seven hits while the Vikings had six hits in the loss. Jaden Babiuk, Jamel Chabot and Jay Greuel all had two hits each for VCSU.
 
Game 2: Dakota State 2, VCSU 0 (10 innings)
VCSU freshman right-hander Takao Cookson turned in a stellar performance in game two, but took the hard-luck loss after taking a shutout into the 10th inning.
 
Cookson scattered just five hits and shut out Dakota State through the first nine innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out nine over his 9 1/3 innings. Cookson left the game with one out in the 10th after putting a pair of runners on. Both eventually came in to score for Dakota State’s two runs.
 
Nicholai Arbach pitched the first six shutout innings for Dakota State, allowing four hits and striking out five. JD Kirchner pitched the final four shutout innings, giving up just one hit as he earned a win in relief.
 
VCSU finished with five hits and committed one error. Dakota State had seven hits and one error. Jeremy Green drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the 10th inning.