From VCSU Athletics
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUAthletics.com) – The Valley City State softball team reached its 10th win of the season as the Vikings took a 7-5 victory over St. Francis University, assisted by a grand slam from Anne-Elise Gest in the first inning. The Vikings also fell to Aquinas College in its first game of the day.
VCSU now moves to 10-8 on the season. Aquinas College improves to 17-3 on the season and St. Francis falls to 10-6 overall.
UP NEXT: VCSU plays one game on Sunday at 12 p.m. CDT against Dickinson College.
(RV) Aquinas 8, VCSU 1
The Vikings fell to Aquinas College, who is receiving votes in the latest NAIA National Coaches’ Poll, by a final score of 8-1 Saturday.
Valley City State’s only run came in the first inning when Ashlyn Diemert drove in Riley Perryman with an RBI single. Aquinas College pulled away for good with two runs in the fourth inning and posted four more in the sixth.
Brooke Gaudry got the loss in the circle for the VIkings. She allowed five runs on six hits over five innings. Marissa Hawkins tossed one inning in relief. Diemert led Valley City State’s offense going 2-for-3 at the plate. Perryman, Joelle Aiello, Sierra Crocker and Jessica Husband each added a hit Saturday.
Aquinas College totaled nine hits Saturday led by two apiece from Carson Hendrickson, Kaelyn Stafford and Emma Houseman. Kayla Fessenden got the win in the pitcher’s circle for Aquinas. She allowed one run on six hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking one.
VCSU 7, St. Francis 5
Valley City State posted six runs in the first inning with the help of Gest’s grand slam to take a 7-5 victory over St. Francis Saturday afternoon.
The Vikings scored two runs on RBI singles from Jessica Husband and Andrea Rodriguez early in the first inning. Then, Anne-Elise Gest smashed a grand slam to right field to lead 6-0 after the first inning.
The Fighting Saints scored four runs in the third inning, but an RBI single from Marissa Hawkins kept the Vikings up by three runs. St. Francis scored one more in the sixth, but the Vikings held them off the rest of the way.
Hawkins, Husband, and Rodriguez each had two hits and one RBI for the Vikings Saturday. Joelle Lamontagne got the win in the circle after pitching a complete game for VCSU. She allowed five runs on nine hits, walked three and struck out two.
St. Francis totaled 10 hits led by Maddie Massaro who went 3-for-4 at the plate with oen RBI. Bridget McDermott got the loss after just one inning of work, allowing four hits and six runs while striking out one. Madisen Tucker threw five innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run on five hits while walking three.