VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Grant Wehseler, Aiden Brook and Brady Smith combined for 14 RBIs Friday evening and the Valley City State baseball team rolled to a 15-7 victory over Presentation College on day one of the North Star Baseball Championships.
Wehseler hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, and Brook blasted a three-run shot over the center field fence in the second inning as Valley City State opened up a 7-1 lead. The Vikings added two more runs each in the fourth and fifth innings on two-run doubles by Brook and Wehseler, and then Smith hit a three-run home run in the seventh.
Valley City State (19-22) advances to play Saturday at 5 p.m. in a winner’s bracket game against Waldorf University. Presentation College will put its season on the line at 2 p.m. Saturday against top seed Bellevue University.
Phillip Almanza started on the hill and pitched five strong innings to pick up the victory for VCSU. He gave up just three hits and one unearned run. Almanza did not walk a batter and struck out five.
Almanza left the game after five innings with an 11-1 lead. Presentation College made things interesting with six runs – only three earned – against reliever Marcus Niemann, which included a three-run home run to center field by Jesse Spangler. VCSU pitcher Jesse Johnson came on in relief and worked out of the inning.
Spangler’s blast cut the Viking lead to 11-7 after the top of the seventh. The Vikings responded with a three-run home run of their own when Brady Smith lifted one over the left field fence in the seventh, capping a four-run inning and putting VCSU back on top 15-7.
Johnson pitched two strong innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and striking out two. Senior right-hander Aaron Schuster came on for the ninth, finishing off the Viking victory.
Brook finished the game 3-for-5 with a run and five RBIs for the Vikings. Wehseler went 2-for-4 with a run and five RBIs; and Smith was 2-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs. Christian Peeryscored five runs out of the leadoff position, and Sal Avila had three hits and two runs.
Jesse Spangler led the Saints’ offense with a 3-for-5 day, scoring twice and driving in three on his home run. Kyle Angielski went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored, and Jace Wyatt had a pair of hits as well.
BJ Wyche started and took the loss for the Saints after VCSU’s big offensive outburst in the early innings.