VALLEY CITY – The Viking bats came alive in game one Saturday as the VCSU baseball team clinched the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament with a doubleheader split against Presentation College.
The Vikings pounded out 18 hits and 13 runs in game one of the doubleheader, picking up a 13-2 victory over the Saints. In game two, Presentation College pitching was lights out, holding the Vikings to just two hits in a 5-0 Saints victory.
Valley City State is now 18-21 overall and finishes the NSAA regular season with a 12-11 conference record. Presentation College is now 19-22 overall and finishes 11-12 in conference play. The Vikings and Saints will rematch in the first round of the NSAA conference tournament, which starts Friday in Valley City. VCSU is the No. 3 seed and Presentation College is the No. 4 seed.
Up next: Valley City State hosts Mayville State for a 9-inning non-conference game on Tuesday to close out the regular season schedule. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Charlie BrownMemorial Baseball Field.
VCSU 13, Presentation College 2
The Viking offense gave starting pitcher Jacob Rosales plenty of late run support in game one, breaking open a close game with seven runs in the sixth inning. The game was scheduled to go nine innings, but the Vikings ended it after seven innings due to run rule.
Rosales went 6 2/3 innings, giving up just three hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out 11. Rosales finished the conference schedule with a 5-1 record in eight appearances. He posted a 1.41 ERA in conference play and struck out 57 batters in 38 1/3 innings.
Jorun Hamre had a big game at the plate, going 4-for-4 with four extra-base hits. Hamre had a triple and three doubles en route to four RBIs. Nathan Demarais was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while four other Vikings had two hits each. Aiden Brook had two hits and three RBIs, and Christian Peery and Brady Smith each had two hits and two runs. Austin Smith went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Sal Avila hit a monster two-run home run as part of VCSU’s seven-run sixth inning.
Gilbert Aguilar led the Saints offense with two hits and an RBI. Colin Crandall started on the mound and took the loss, giving up six hits and three runs over 2 1/3 innings.
Presentation College 5, VCSU 0
Four Saints pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout in game two, holding the Viking offense quiet in a 5-0 Saints victory.
BJ Wyche pitched two hitless innings for the Saints to start the game, and then Austin Crain, Jesse Spangler and CJ Canfield combined to finish off the final five innings for a combined shutout.
The Saints scored two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead, and then tacked on a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to go ahead 5-0.
Presentation College finished with nine hits. Jace Wyatt and Gilbert Aguilar were both 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Zane Hunt went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Christian Peery and Brady Smith had VCSU’s only two hits. Marcus Niemann started on the mound and took the loss, going four innings and giving up seven hits and three runs. Brady Engebretson had two strong innings out of the bullpen, striking out five and giving up just one hit.
(photos courtesy of Brenna Winter/VCSU)