VALLEY CITY, N.D. -- In a match-up of the top two teams in the North Star Athletic Association to begin the weekend, Valley City State University came out on top with a pair of wins over the Bellevue University softball team. The Vikings took a 9-3 victory in the opener before holding on for a 7-5 win in the nightcap.
Valley City improves to 16-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play while the Bruins fall to 22-15 and 8-4 in NSAA action.
Game One: VCSU 9, BU 3
Lauren Jurek pitched well in the opener as Bellevue and Valley City were tied into the fifth inning but three-run frames in both the fifth and sixth innings by the Vikings proved too much for the Bruins.
Riley Perryman put the hosts on the board first with a solo shot in the second inning but Ellie Bliemeister answered with a two-run homer in the top of the third to put Bellevue ahead 2-1.
Marissa Hawkins matched Bliemeister with a two-run bomb of her own in the home half of the third.
Bellevue fought back, scratching across an unearned run in the fourth to tie things at 3-all. The Bruins threatened to take the lead in the sixth, drawing three walks to load the bases, but Emily Smith struck out the side in unconventional fashion to keep the score even.
VCSU scored three times on three hits in the fifth and Sierra Crocker added a three-run home run in the sixth to give the Vikings some breathing room via a six-run lead.
Jurek (12-6) struck out nine batters in five innings of work. She allowed six runs on eight hits. Cory Carillo made her return to the circle, after a two and a half month absence, working an inning of relief in the ball game.
Smith (10-0) earned the win, striking out seven batters against four walks in 3.2 hitless innings of relief.
Game Two: VCSU 7, BU 5
Bellevue struck first in game two when Maricela Egan ambushed a pitch for a two-out solo home run in the top half of the first.
Valley City got that run back on an RBI-single from Marissa Hawkins before plating three runs in the second for a 4-1 lead.
Ashley Young answered with a solo home run in the third to cut the deficit to two runs but that was short-lived.
A home run by Autumn Perry in the third as well as a sac fly and an error in the fourth saw the Vikings go up 7-2.
Bellevue fought and made things interesting late. Kelsey Arnold launched a three-run home run with two outs in the seventh to pull Bellevue to within two runs, 7-5, ahead of Ellie Bliemeister. Bliemeister then reached on an error to bring the tying run to the dish but Emily Smith induced a ground out to end the ballgame.
Savannah Gunn (7-6) went the distance in the circle for the Bruins. She allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and struck out four.
Smith (11-0) earned her second victory of the day with a complete game, seven-strikeout effort. She surrendered six hits but just two of the five runs she allowed were earned.
Up Next:
The Bruins and Vikings conclude their four-game series with a double-header tomorrow beginning at noon.
