V-Hawks' season ends with tough loss to No. 1-seeded Bellevue at NSAA Tournament

WATERTOWN, S.D. – The Viterbo University Softball team took the field at the PREMIER Softball Complex in Watertown, S.D. on Thursday afternoon for the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Conference Tournament. The V-Hawks opened the tournament against No. 1-ranked Bellevue University and could not get runs on the board, losing 3-0. The team went on to face Dickinson State University in their final game and fell 13-5.

Game one: Viterbo - 0, Bellevue – 3

• The game was a pitching duel from the start with the two teams only allowing four combined hits through the first five innings. 
• The V-Hawks out-hit the Bruins 3-1 through five innings, with two of those three hits coming from Morgan James. 
• The Bruins scored three runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the late lead. 
• Bellevue shut down Viterbo in order in the top of the seventh to seal the win for the Bruins.
• Key players: Morgan James – 3-3, double; Ella Driebel – 6 innings pitched, six hits, three earned runs, 1-1 at the plate

 Game two: Viterbo - 5, Dickinson State - 13

• The V-Hawks got off to a hot start, scoring four runs in the second to take a 4-1 lead.
• Viterbo tacked on one more run in the third after a Maddie Wilkey single scored Dribel to make it 5-1. 
• The Blue Hawks answered in the bottom of the third, scoring seven runs on five hits. Dickinson State went on to score five more unanswered runs to take the five-inning, 13-5 victory.
• Key players: Maddie Wilkey – 2-3, RBI, run; Gracie Hamann – 1-2, RBI, run; 

The loss marked the final game of the season for the V-Hawks. The Viterbo Softball team ended their season with an overall record of 9-39 and 5-23 in conference.