TUCSON, ARIZ. – The Valley City State softball team took a pair of wins over Viterbo University and Park University Sunday at the Tucson Invitational Games. VCSU defeated Viterbo 13-3 in six innings and followed up with a come-from-behind 8-4 victory over Park.
 
VCSU is now 4-1 at the Tucson Invitational Games and moves above .500 with a 9-8 record overall. The Vikings have a day off on Monday and will resume TIG play on Tuesday against William Penn University at 1 p.m. CT and Westcliff University at 3:30 p.m. CT.
 
VCSU 13, Viterbo 3 (6 innings)
Valley City State used two big innings to rout the V-Hawks that culminated in Makenzee Stone’s 3-run base-hit to decide the game 13-3 by run-rule.
 
VCSU capitalized on V-Hawk errors to score five runs in the third inning, including a 2-run single from Alyssa DePoorter. Viterbo managed to score three runs in the top of the fourth inning to narrow the gap.
 
The Vikings kicked off its 8-run sixth inning on Madison Hazelton’s RBI single to left field. Banerd, Kennadi Stone, Maddy Zander and Katelyn MacNeill each drove in a run and with the bases loaded, Makenzee Stone delivered her bases-clearing single to call the game 13-3.
 
VCSU totaled 12 hits in the game led by two each from Hazelton, Zander, Ashlyn Diemert and Logan Gronberg. Kylee Banerd and Alyssa DePoorter each scored two and drove in two. Diemert swiped the plate a team-best three times.
 
Zander earned the win in the circle after starting the game and working 4 complete innings. She allowed three runs on four hits, walked one and struck out three. Hazelton earned the save after 2 innings in relief, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out two.
 
VCSU 8, Park University 4
The Vikings took a comeback victory over Park University with a 5-run seventh inning highlighted by a 3-run homer from DePoorter.
 
The Pirates opened game with a 1-0 lead after the first inning. The scoreboard remained stagnant until Park added a solo home run by Chloe Gilbert in the fourth. VCSU broke open its scoring in the fifth inning with three runs to take the lead, aided by Gronberg’s 2-run double.
 
Park added a pair of runs to lead 4-3 after the sixth inning. VCSU delivered on its last chance, posting five runs in the seventh to take the comeback win. DePoorter’s 3-run home run put the Vikings in the lead and Makenzee Stone and Jenna Decker each drove in a run to put the game out of reach.
 
Diemert was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double while Makenzee Stone went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. DePoorter homered and drove in four runs while Gronberg had two hits and two RBIs.
 
Zander (6-4) earned the win in the circle after pitching 3 complete innings in relief. She allowed two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out three. Hazelton started in the circle and allowed two runs on four hits, walked two and struck out one in 4 innings of work.