DICKINSON, N.D. – Valley City State split its final conference doubleheader on Saturday as the Vikings wrapped up the North Star Athletic Association regular season in Dickinson.
 
VCSU won game one 3-1 behind a strong pitching performance by Christopher Dietrich. The Blue Hawks earned the split with a 6-2 win in game two.
 
With the split, Valley City State has locked up the No. 3 seed for the NSAA postseason tournament with a 11-13 record in conference play. The Vikings will rematch with Dickinson State in the first round on Friday as the Blue Hawks earned the No. 6 seed with a 7-16 conference record.
 
Valley City State is now 19-30 overall this season. The Vikings close out the regular season with a non-conference game Monday at the University of St. Thomas (Minn.).
 
Up next: Valley City State is scheduled to finish the regular season with a non-conference game Monday at the University of St. Thomas (Minn.). The Vikings will then shift their focus to the NSAA Tournament, which begins Friday in Dickinson.
 
VCSU 3, Dickinson State 1
Christopher Dietrich gave the Vikings six strong innings on the mound, and Kaden Rozdeba hit a 2-run home run as VCSU won game one, 3-1.
 
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Rozdeba hit a go-ahead 2-run home run to score Dustin Mertz for a 2-1 lead. The Vikings tacked on another run in the fourth inning on an RBI double off the bat of Hunter Logan.
 
That’s all the run support Dietrich would need. The right-hander worked six innings, scattering six hits and giving up just one run. He walked three and struck out eight for his third win of the season. Eli Chabot pitched a perfect seventh inning to earn his first collegiate save.
 
Both teams managed six hits in the game. Rozdeba went 1-for-3 with his 2-run home run, and Cody Wielgosh was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Jaden Babiuk, Dustin Mertz and Hunter Logan all had one hit each.
 
Dickinson State 6, VCSU 2
The Blue Hawks scored late to open up a tight contest in game two. VCSU scored two runs in the fourth inning – including an RBI single by Christian Ramirez – to tie the game at 2-2. Dickinson then scored a single run in the fifth inning and tacked on three more runs in the eighth for the 6-2 win.
 
Kahlil Tilbury started on the mound for VCSU and went six innings, scattering eight hits and three runs. He walked three and struck out eight. Jacob Marx, Riley Resnick and Jay Mendez all pitched in relief.
 
The Vikings finished with nine hits, including two each by Jaden Babiuk and Cody Wielgosh.