V-Hawks Record Over 50 Hits in High-Scoring Tripleheader

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Viterbo University Softball team went 1-2 against Dakota State University (SD) in a tripleheader on Sunday afternoon. The series was moved from Madison, SD to the Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, SD and was changed to a three-game series due to weather conditions. Viterbo won the first game 10-4, then lost the second game 20-27 and the third 10-16. The V-Hawks now sit at 10-23 (6-13 NSAA) while the Trojans hold a 12-21 (11-6 NSAA) record.

Viterbo would start the first game in a big way, as Morgan James' 2-RBI double brought in Channing Manske and Makayla Nortman, and Haleigh Zanoni's double scored James in the top of the first. DSU responded with a run in the bottom of the first, but the V-Hawks extended their lead with a Megan Jardine 2-RBI double in the top of the third. The top of the fourth saw Nortman steal home and reach home on an error, James triple score Brittany Slocum, and Zanoni score James again. The Trojans scored a single run in each of the final three innings, but VU held the lead, even adding two more in the sixth with a James RBI single and Jardine's RBI to bring in Slocum, bringing the final score to 10-4.

James went 4-for-4 with four RBIs to lead the V-Hawks offense, while Zanoni added two RBIs on 3-of-4 hitting and Nortman scored twice, getting three hits on three at-bats. Carrington Entringer went 2-for-4 for Dakota State. Morgan Fuhrer (W, 4-0) had four strikeouts in her complete game win, and Maycee Bricker (L, 5-8) had 10 strikeouts.

The V-Hawks started the second game up again, with a Sydney Haakenson RBI single to score Nortman, and a James double to bring in Haakenson. But the Trojans would fire back, starting the game with nine hits to score eight runs in the bottom of the first. They would keep that momentum going, building a 2-16 lead after three innings. Jardine got the momentum back in the V-Hawks favor, as her two-RBI double started a huge run for VU. Nortman added an RBI single, then a pair of errors and a Haakenson single brought the fourth inning total to five runs, but that was nothing compared to the fifth. Marissa Carter-Olson would have the first of 11 V-Hawk hits in the fifth, followed by Jardine's RBI single, an Alina Garstka sacrifice fly, Jardine scoring on a wild pitch, a Nortman RBI double, a Haakenson RBI double, Haakenson scoring on an error, a Slocum RBI single, another Jardine RBI single, an Amanda Bogdonovic RBI single with Jardine also scoring, and Courtney Denton scoring on an error. All of that would result in a 19-16 V-Hawk lead. However, the Trojans would also have a productive fifth frame, retaking the lead seven hits and a V-Hawk error led to nine runs. James smacked a solo home run in the top of the sixth, but DSU had a solo home run and a sacrifice fly to respond in the bottom of the sixth, resulting in their 20-27 win.

James would go 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Jardine had four RBIs on 4-of-5 hitting at the plate. Haakenson and Carter-Olson each also matched the game-high four hits. Sophia Cordova had four RBIs on perfect 3-for-3 hitting. Maddie Wilkey (L, 4-10) had five strikeouts, while Sophia Cordova (3-2) earned the win in 2.2 innings.

The third game would be the Trojans turn to jump out to an early lead, scoring three runs on four hits, and after a Carter-Olson RBI single, added two more runs on three hits in the second. Four more hits and two Viterbo errors in the third led to four more runs, but the V-Hawks began to chip away at the lead in the fourth, scoring two runs on a Carter-Olson double, and Nortman finding home on a wild pitch. Although DSU scored again in the bottom of the fourth, Slocum rocked a home run that also scored Manske, and Jardine's single brough in Zanoni to close the deficit to 7-10. A pass ball and a homer in the bottom of the fifth gave Dakota State another two runs, but Viterbo responded with another three in the top of the sixth on a Zanoni single, a Carter-Olson single, and a Grace Brewer single. However, the Trojans extended their lead to 10-16 in the bottom of the sixth with a three run homerun and an RBI on an error.

Carter-Olson had four RBIs on 3-of-4 hitting, Slocum had a pair of RBIs while going 3-for-5, and Zanoni went a perfect 3-of-3 with an RBI and scored thrice. Michelle Evdos had five RBIs on three hits. Payton Lamont (1-5) recorded the loss and Maycee Bricker (W, 6-8) had seven Ks.

Viterbo returns to action on Thursday, April 20 with a doubleheader at St. Mary's University (Minn.).