ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Valley City State softball team clinched the program’s first conference championship since 2014 with a doubleheader sweep Friday at Presentation College.
The Vikings made quick work of the Saints, needing just 11 innings to complete the sweep. VCSU won the opener 8-0 in six innings, and then clinched the North Star Athletic Association regular season title with a 14-1 win in game two.
Valley City State, ranked No. 7 in the country, improves to 44-3 overall and 24-2 in conference play. With two conference games remaining, VCSU remains three games ahead of Bellevue University in the NSAA standings. It is VCSU’s first softball conference championship since 2014, which was the inaugural year of the North Star Athletic Association. The Vikings also locked up the No. 1 seed for the upcoming NSAA Softball Championship, which will be held May 2-5 in Valley City.
The two wins Friday extends VCSU’s current winning streak to 11 games. Over the last 10 games, VCSU has outscored its opponents 67-8 with four shutouts.
Up next: The Vikings close out the regular season by hosting Presentation College for a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at the VCSU Softball Complex.
VCSU 8, Presentation College 0
Emily Smith and Amber Stewart allowed just one total hit as they combined on a six-inning shutout in the opener.
Smith pitched the first five innings for her 26th win of the season, allowing just one hit, walking only one and striking out seven. Stewart came on for the sixth inning and was perfect, setting the Saints down in order.
Valley City State scored one run in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, slowly opening up a 4-0 lead. VCSU put the game out of reach with four runs in the top of the sixth.
Kadie Anderson opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and then Jayme Menard led off the third inning with a solo home run for a 2-0 lead. Voni Culp‘s RBI double in the fifth made it 4-0, and then VCSU racked up four runs on five hits in the big sixth inning.
Voni Culp led the offense with a 3-for-3 game, scoring a run and driving in two runs. Joelle Aiellowas 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and six other Vikings had one hit each.
VCSU 14, Presentation College 1
The Vikings erupted for 14 runs in game two, scoring in each of the first four innings as they clinched the conference championship with their 44th win of the season.
VCSU scored its 14 runs on 11 hits and six Presentation College errors. The Vikings put up four runs in the first inning, two in the second, four in the third inning and four more in the fourth to open up a 14-0 lead.
Riley Perryman hit a two-run home run in the second inning, and Keana Harmon blasted a three-run home run in the third inning.
Culp had three more hits and scored three runs as she finished the doubleheader 6-for-6 with four runs, two doubles and three RBIs. Culp is batting .568 during VCSU’s current 11-game winning streak and has raised her season batting average to .405.
Perryman went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and three RBIs. Harmon and Emily Smith each added three RBIs as well.
Emilee Wilson picked up the win after allowing just one hit over her four innings in the circle. She did not walk anyone and struck out four.
(Photo courtesy of VCSU)