VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSU Sports Information) – Valley City State scored three runs in the third and never looked back in a 10-2 win over the University of Providence in game one of the Frontier Conference softball doubleheader. The Argos took game two 8-3 to salvage the final game of the series which VCSU won 3-1.
The Vikings are now 25-24 overall and 15-13 in the Frontier Conference. The Argos go to 19-9 in the conference and 27-22 overall. The final seedings for the conference tournament will not be known until after the Carroll College, Mayville State series which concludes Monday.
GAME 1: Valley City State 10, Providence 2
The Vikings scored three times in the bottom of the third to get the scoring going. Kennadi Stone had an RBI double that brought in Madden Bogenreif. Ahleeya Nicola drove in Stone with a single. Hadely Gerle had an RBI double that scored Nicola to make it 3-0 Vikings.
The Argos got a run back in the fourth on Aleana Aionaaka’s RBI single.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Vikings plated four runs. Jenna Decker’s double to right scored Stone and Bogenreif. Nicola followed that with a single to center to score Kylee Banerd and Decker to make it 7-1 Vikings.
Providence got a run in the top of the fifth when Kasidy Yeoman scored on an error.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Vikings scored twice. Bogenreif squeeze bunt scored Katelyn MacNeill and Stone scored Avery Kuklinski with an RBI single.
VCSU capped the scoring with a RBI single by Bailey Leroux in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early, 10-2.
Ahleeya Nicola was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Kennadi Stone was 3 for 3 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. Avery Kuklinski was 3 for 3 with a run scored. Jenna Decker was 1 for 4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI. Madden Bogenreif was 1 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Kylee Banerd, Hadley Gerle were both 1 for 3. Banerd scored a run and Gerle had a double and an RBI. Bailey Leroux was 1 for 1 with an RBI.
Maddy Hazelton picked up the win in the circle. She allowed six hits in six innings, two runs, one earned. She walked five and struck out six.
GAME 2: Providence 8, Valley City State 3
The game was back and forth and tightly contested until the late innings. Providence scored first on Tiffany Fuentes RBI single in the top of the second.
Valley City State countered that with two runs in the bottom of the second on Katelyn MacNeill’s two-run single.
The Argos got a run back in the top of the third when a run scored on a wild pitch, tyin g the game at 2-2.
In the home half of the third, a run scored on an error to give the Vikings a 3-2 lead.
Providence took the lead for good with two runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run single by Tehneson Ehnes to make it 4-3.
In the top of the seventh, the Argos put the game away with four runs. Back-to-back doubles by Kasidy Yeoman and Ehnes made it 6-3. Alix Bishop then hit a two-run home run to center field to cap the scoring and make the final 8-3.
Valley City State had six hits, led by Madden Bogenreif who was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Katelyn MacNeill was 2 for 3 with two RBI. Kylee Banerd was 1 for 2 with a run scored. Jenna Decker scored a run and added an RBI.
UP NEXT: The Frontier Conference Softball begins on Thursday, April 30th on Bravera Field at the Sanford Sports Complex in Dickinson. The Vikings are awaiting the outcome of the Carroll College Mayville State series to see what seed they would get. If Carroll wins two splits the series or wins the series, they will move into third and the Vikings would drop to fourth. If the Comets win the series, VCSU will be the third seed. As the fourth seed, they would play the fifth seed, they would play fourth seed Bismarck State at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time/11:00 a.m. Central Time Thursday. As the third seed, they would face sixth seed Bellevue and play at 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time/6:30 p.m. Central Time.
