Baseball gets two thrilling wins on the road at Valley City

VALLEY CITY, N.D. – The Viterbo University Baseball team traveled to Valley City State University to take on the Vikings for a four-game series this weekend. The V-Hawks split the series, winning one game on Friday and one game on Saturday. 

Game one: Viterbo – 6, Valley City – 3 (11 innings)

• The Vikings struck first in the bottom of the first inning with a RBI double to left field.
• The V-Hawks went down quietly in inning two before taking the lead in the third after back-to-back RBI singles from Cole Benson and Marcus Hornacek.
• Kyle Gilbertson and the V-Hawks held the Vikings hitless for five innings before the Vikings regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning after a two-run homer.
• The V-Hawks answered in the top of the ninth with a solo shot from Keaton Westhoff to tie the game.
• Alec Danen came on in relief for the V-Hawks in the ninth inning and held the Vikings hitless for the remainder of the game. 
• The V-Hawks scored three runs in the top of the 11^th inning with three RBI doubles from Kendal Hofer, Blake Warner, and Hornacek to seal the win.
• Key players: Kyle Gilbertson – eight innings pitched, six hits, three earned runs, seven strikeouts; Alec Danen – three innings pitched, zero earned runs, two strikeouts; Marcus Hornacek – 2-6, two RBIs, double; Keaton Westhoff – 2-4, two runs, one RBI, double, home run

Game two: Viterbo – 1, Valley City - 8

• The V-Hawks scored first in the third inning after a Blake Warner single scored Remy Stern.
• The V-Hawk bats went quiet after the third, collecting only three more hits in the final four innings.
• Key players: Blake Warner – 2-3, one RBI, walk, double; Remy Stern – 1-3, one run, double; Brandon Jaenke – two innings pitched, zero earned runs, two strikeouts

Game three: Viterbo – 10, Valley City - 0

• Viterbo had hot bats from the beginning of the game, striking first with a solo homer from Cole Benson in the first.
• The V-Hawks scored again in the second after a Keaton Westhoff single scored Cody Wells.
• In the top of the fourth, Zach Braun added another tally for Viterbo with a solo shot to right field.
• The V-Hawks tacked on three more runs in the fifth, including a Blake Warner single scoring Remy Stern, followed by Benson's second home run of the game.
• Viterbo capped off their scoring in the sixth, adding four runs after a bases-loaded double by Kendal Hofer and a Blake Warner fielder's choice.
• Eric Taylor pitched an outstanding game with a one-hit complete-game shutout, striking out eight batters.
• Key players: Eric Taylor – seven innings pitched, one hit, zero earned runs, eight strikeouts; Cole Benson – 2-3, three RBIs, two runs scored, two home runs; Kendal Hofer – 1-5, three RBIs, one run scored, double; Zach Braun – 2-3, one RBI, one run, walk, home run. 

Game four: Viterbo – 2, Valley City - 7

• The V-Hawk bats were cold for much of the game, scoring their first run in the sixth inning.
• Viterbo's only runs came in the sixth after back-to-back RBIs from Cody Wells and Zach Braun.
• Anthony Reza opened the game for the V-Hawks, pitching two innings with one hit, one walk, zero runs, and two strikeouts.

The Viterbo Baseball team will be back in action on Tuesday at Iowa Wesleyan. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM CDT. Follow the action on our website or by following us on social media.