From VCSU Athletics
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUAthletics.com) – Valley City State dropped a back-and-forth game one Friday afternoon as the Viking baseball team wrapped up a three-game road trip to Briar Cliff with a doubleheader.
The teams combined to score in each of their last five at bats of game one as Briar Cliff won 9-8 in extra innings. The Chargers then completed the sweep with a 4-0 win in game two.
Valley City State drops to 6-5 overall this season. This week’s series at Briar Cliff was the first games of the spring for the Vikings. Briar Cliff improves to 5-5 overall this season.
Up next: Valley City State plays Midland University in a four-games series at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The teams will play doubleheaders on March 12 and 13.
Briar Cliff 9, VCSU 8 (8 innings)
The teams combined to score 12 runs in the last five at bats of a back-and-forth game one on Friday.
Trailing 6-2, the Vikings rallied with five runs in the top of the seventh inning, taking a 7-6 lead. The Chargers tied the game in the bottom of the inning, sending it to extra innings.
With the international tiebreak rule in effect (runner starts extra innings on second base), Valley City State regained an 8-7 lead after Jayden Shipman‘s RBI single in the 8th. The Chargers had the answer though, scoring two runs in the bottom of the 8th and winning on Mike Anthony’s walk-off single.
David Demeter hit a first-inning solo home run to start the scoring for Valley City State. Carter Dodd followed with an RBI double in the second inning to give VCSU a 2-1 lead. The Vikings held that lead until Briar Cliff’s Cam Riemer hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Briar Cliff added three more runs in the sixth, taking a 6-2 lead into the seventh inning before VCSU’s rally.
Jayden Shipman, Carter Dodd and Jaden Babiuk each singled to load the bases for VCSU in the top of the seventh. JT Reed followed with a two-run single; Demeter tied the game with a two-run double; and then Dustin Mertz singled home Demeter for a 7-6 lead.
The Viking defense turned a double play to get two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Briar Cliff mounted a two-out rally. Matthew Delgado reached on a pinch-hit single and moved to second when the ball was mishandled in the outfield. Delgado then took third and home on two wild pitches, sending the game to extra innings.
Chase Feller started on the mound for VCSU and pitched four strong innings, allowing four hits and just one run. He walked one, struck out five and exited with a 2-1 lead. Wiliam Hlady pitched the seventh and eighth innings for VCSU, giving up three hits and two earned runs as he took the loss. Jace Hanson, Ryan Reynolds and Harrison Metz all pitched in the middle innings.
The Vikings finished with 12 hits, including three each by Shipman and Dodd. Shipman was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Dodd was 3-for-4 with a run and RBI. Demeter was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs, while Reed, Avery Bennefeld, Mertz and Babiuk all had one hit each.
Briar Cliff 4, VCSU 0
Three Briar Cliff pitchers combined on a shutout in game two, limiting the Vikings to just two hits by JT Reed and Adam Thompson.
William Hlady, Zach Veneman and Hunter Magnuson all pitched for VCSU. Hlady started and gave up three hits and a run. Veneman worked three innings of relief, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out four. Magnuson worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits.
VCSU played a clean game defensively and did not commit an error.