VALLEY CITY, N.D. (vcsuvikings.com) – Valley City State University won two games in walk-off fashion on Saturday as the Viking baseball team hosted Waldorf University for a rare tripleheader.
The Vikings won game one 2-1 on a walk-off two-run double from JT Reed, and then won game three 7-6 after an extra-inning walk-off sacrifice fly by David Demeter. Waldorf won game two by a score of 5-2.
With the pair of wins, the Vikings are now 17-23 overall and 10-9 in conference play. Waldorf moves to 19-24 overall and 12-11 in the NSAA.
Matthew Suda picked up both wins on the mound for VCSU after making two scoreless relief appearances.
Up next: The Vikings and Warriors are slated to play one game Sunday at noon, weather permitting.
GAME 1: VCSU 2, Waldorf 1
JT Reed provided the heroics for Valley City State as he won game one with a walk-off two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Vikings trailed 1-0 entering their last at bat before Reed roped a two-out pitch to the right-center gap, scoring a pair of runs for the 2-1 victory. Zach Veneman started the rally with a one-out single to right field. Pinch hitter Chase Feller followed with a double off the center-field fence, putting runners on second and third with one out. With the infield in, Waldorf got a ground out to second base for the second out, but Reed was able to deliver the game-winning hit and set off a walk-off celebration.
Tyler Kliniske started on the mound for VCSU and delivered six stellar innings. The senior right-hander allowed just three hits and one run. He walked three and struck out a career-high 11 batters. Matthew Suda pitched a perfect seventh inning and picked up the win as the beneficiary of the late rally.
VCSU finished with five hits, including two by Reed. Dustin Mertz, Veneman and Feller each had one hit.
Waldorf’s Heath Chapman pitched five shutout innings to start the game, giving up just two hits and striking out four. Nic Tebeau took the loss in relief, allowing three hits and two runs. Thomas Capllonch, TarQuin Daley and Dusty Rogers each had a hit for Waldorf, and Rogers drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the fifth inning.
GAME 2: Waldorf 5, VCSU 2
The Warriors scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second inning as they opened up an early lead in game two and never trailed en route to a 5-2 victory.
David Calderon-Tatis pitched a complete game for the victory, allowing just five hits and two runs for the Warriors. He walked three and struck out eight.
Phillip Almanza also went the distance for VCSU. The right-hander allowed seven hits and three earned runs over seven innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Jorun Hamre hit a solo home run to right-center in the fifth inning, pulling the Vikings to within 5-2. It was Hamre’s 11th home run of the season as he gets closer to challenging VCSU’s single-season school record of 14 home runs. Jayden Shipman had a pair of hits to lead the Viking offense. Drew Nixon and David Demeter also has hits for VCSU.
Thomas Capllonch had a pair of hits for Waldorf. Five other Warriors had one hit each. Jack Muhleck doubled and drove in a pair of runs.
GAME 3: VCSU 7, Waldorf 6 (8 innings)
The Vikings rallied from a 6-4 deficit late in game three, coming from behind for a 7-6 victory in extra innings to cap the day’s tripleheader.
Drew Nixon sent the game into extra innings by beating out an RBI infield single in the bottom of the seventh, and then David Demeter won it with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
The Vikings trailed 6-4 after Waldorf plated two runs in the top of the fifth inning. VCSU cut the deficit to 6-5 after a sacrifice fly by Nixon in the bottom of the fifth. The score would stay 6-5 until the bottom of the seventh. Jorun Hamre started the game-tying rally by reaching on a one-out single. Carter Dodd entered as a pinch runner and moved to third on a two-out single by Ryan Reynolds. Nixon followed with a ground ball to third, but he narrowly beat the throw to first base allowing Dodd to score the tying run.
Waldorf had the go-ahead run on third base with no outs in the eighth inning, but Matthew Suda pitched out of the jam with a fly out, strikeout and pop out to end the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the Vikings quickly loaded the bases with a hit batter and walk, bringing Demeter to the plate. The Viking senior sent the second pitch he saw deep to right field for a sacrifice fly, scoring Gage Gellner for the winning run and setting off VCSU’s second walk-off celebration of the day.
Demeter finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and the game-winning RBI. JT Reed was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBIs. Ryan Reynolds and Jorun Hamre each had two hits as well. Dustin Mertz and Drew Nixon each had a hit and two RBIs.
Suda picked up his second win of the day after working two scoreless innings in relief. He did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out one. Reed Butz pitched two innings in relief as well, allowing no hits and two unearned runs. He walked one and struck out three. Chase Feller started on the mound and went four innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs. Feller walked three and struck out four.
The Vikings won despite committing six errors that led to three unearned runs.
Nic Tebeau took the loss for Waldorf after coming on in the sixth inning. He allowing three hits and one run. Nik Dodson started on the mound for Waldorf, giving up eight hits and five runs over five innings.
Alejandro Gonzalez hit a two-run home run in the first inning to pace Waldorf’s offense. Angel Monica, Justin Nock and Dusty Rogers each had a hit as well, and Rogers drove in a run.