From VCSU Athletics
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUAthletics.com) – Joelle Lamontagne and the Viking defense allowed just one run Friday afternoon as the Valley City State softball team shut down top seed Bellevue University and punched its ticket to the North Star Softball Tournament Championship Game.
Marissa Hawkins and Sierra Crocker each drove in a pair of the runs for the Vikings, sparking the offense to a 5-1 victory in the semifinal game.
Valley City State improves to 32-15 overall and is now in control of the double-elimination tournament. The No. 2-seeded Vikings are the only unbeaten team remaining and must be beaten twice in the championship. Top seed Bellevue (40-12) plays No. 4 seed Mayville State at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The winner will face VCSU in the championship game at 1 p.m. If VCSU loses the first championship, the teams will play another winner-take-all game at approximately 3 p.m. (Game times for Saturday have been moved up an hour due to forecasted rain.)
Lamontagne was fantastic in the circle for VCSU on Friday, scattering six hits and allowing just one run in a complete-game performance. Lamontagne walked just one batter and struck out five in her 16th complete game this season. The Viking defense was spotless as well, making a handful of sparkling plays while not committing an error in the victory.
Valley City State struck first in the top of the third inning. Ashlynne Copinga led off the inning with a bunt single and Joelle Aiello was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Bellevue pitcher Katie Cunningham got the next two outs and was on the verge of working out of the jam, but Marissa Hawkins came through in the clutch with a two-out, two-run single off the center field fence, giving the Vikings a 2-0 lead.
Bellevue responded with a single run in the bottom of the inning as Lauren Jurek hit a one-out sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Sami Reding to cut the deficit to 2-1. That’s all the runs the Bruins would manage though.
Crocker came through with a two-run double in the top of the sixth inning – creating some breathing room for the Vikings – and then Copinga tripled and scored in the seventh inning for a 5-1 Viking lead.
The Vikings managed seven hits in the game, including two each by Copinga, Hawkins and Jessica Husband. Copinga scored twice while Crocker and Hawkins each drove in two runs. Joelle Aiello, Hawkins and Anne-Elise Gest each scored a run.
Cunningham pitched six innings for the Bruins, allowing six hits and five runs. She walked one and struck out five. Lauren Jurek pitched the seventh inning in relief.
Reese Floro led the Bruin offense with a pair of hits. Jurek drove in the only run, and Ashley Young, Allison O’Driscoll, Maricela Egan and Sami Reding each had one it.
Up next: Bellevue plays Mayville State at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in a loser-out semifinal game. Valley City State awaits the winner for the first championship game at 1 p.m. The winner of the NSAA tournament advances to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round, May 16-18 are various sites around the country.