Bruins rally for split with Vikings
After dropping the opener, 11-3 in five innings, the Bellevue University softball team rallied in the nightcap for an 8-2 victory to earn a conference split with Valley City State University Sunday afternoon at Roy Smith Field. The two teams also split the four-game series, with each squad earning two victories.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
OMAHA, Neb. -- After dropping the opener, 11-3 in five innings, the Bellevue University softball team rallied in the nightcap for an 8-2 victory to earn a conference split with Valley City State University Sunday afternoon at Roy Smith Field. The two teams also split the four-game series, with each squad earning two victories.
The split moves the Bruins to 17-9 on the season and 6-2 in the North Star Athletic Association. VCSU is now 10-17 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
The Bruins will host Dickinson State University in a four-game conference series next Friday-Saturday, April 7-8, at Roy Smith Field. Friday's doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday's twin bill will start at noon.
Game 1: Valley City State 11, Bellevue 3 (5 innings)
VCSU launched four homers, two from Marissa Hawkins, as the Vikings ran away with the opener, 11-3, in five innings.
Hawkins finished the game 2-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs.
The Vikings erupted for six runs in the bottom of the third, sparked by back-to-back home runs from Hawkins and Makenzee Stone. Hawkins' homer was a three-run shot to right-center field. VCSU also scored on an RBI single to center field by Sierra Crocker.
A pair of RBI singles by Ashlyn Diemert and Riley Perryman and a two-run homer by Hawkins made it 10-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Bruins avoided the shutout with a sacrifice fly to left field by Atiana Rodriguez to slice the lead to 10-1 in the top of the fifth. Sami Reding's two-out, two-run homer to center field made it 10-3 later in the fifth.
VCSU ended the game in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homer to left-center field by Alyssa DePoorter.
Lauren Jurek (3-2) suffered the loss, giving up six runs on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work.
Joelle Lamontagne improved to 5-7, earning the win after scattering eight hits with no walks and one strikeout in five innings in the circle.
Game 2: Bellevue 8, Valley City State 2
The Bruins used a six-run fifth inning to propel BU to an 8-2 victory in the final game of the series.
A fielding error by VCSU first baseman Sierra Crocker allowed Liana McMurtry to score from third, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
The Vikings responded in the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer to left-center field by Perryman, tying the contest at 1-1.
A two-out grand slam by Myla Beckstrom highlighted a six-run fifth inning as BU regained the momentum, taking a 7-1 lead. BU also scored on an RBI double to center field by Rodriguez and on a VCSU throwing error.
Reding scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch by Hawkins to extend the Bruins advantage to 8-1 in the top of the sixth frame.
Hawkins led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot over the center field fence to reduce the deficit to 8-2. It was her third home run on the day. Cory Carrillo retired the next three batters to earn her fourth win of the season.
Carrillo improved to 4-1 on the season, allowing just three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in seven-complete innings of work.
Maddy Zander (4-4) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in 4.2 innings in the circle.