Blue Hawks split with VCSU to open conference play

Sagan Osborne | Dickinson State Sports Information Director

TUCSON, Ariz. – Dickinson State split with Valley City State to kick off North Star Athletic Association play in Tucson, Arizona on Thursday. VCSU took game one 5-3 before the Blue Hawks bounced back with a 5-4 win in game two.

GAME 1

Valley City state took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never trailed in the game as they went on to win 5-3. The Vikings pushed two across in the first inning thanks to a couple of soft hits, a stolen base, and a line drive single to center field to take the early lead.

VCSU kept the Blue Hawk hitters off balance for much of the first time through the order, but Alberto Nieto singled to center to start the third inning and advanced to third on a stolen base and passed ball. Keanu Calamayan then followed with a double to the left center gap to make it 2-1 VCSU. A fly out by Derrick Calvillo moved Calamayan to third and Dawson Cortese drove a hard line drive to center field for a sacrifice fly to knot the score at two.

The Vikings took the lead back in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a two-out bloop hit and a pair of RBI doubles to make it 4-2 VCSU. Another RBI double in the sixth inning made it 5-2 before Balas Buckmaster singled home courtesy runner Nathaniel Jilek for the Blue Hawk's third run.

Despite getting 2.1 innings of scoreless relief from Maximus Anderson, and 0.2 from Carlos Molina Jr., DSU was unable to score again as the Vikings held on for the conference opening win. Jonathan Lerma took the loss for the Blue Hawks as he went 5.0 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking just 1.

GAME 2

Starter Richie Cortese struck out ten batters over 5.0 innings allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits, but the game was decided after he left the game as DSU held on for a 5-4 victory in game two.

Dickinson State took the early lead in game two when Kael Richards bloop single scored Dawson Cortese who had reached on a hit by pitch. An RBI ground out in the top of the second inning by VCSU tied the game at 1-1 and marked the first earned run allowed by Cortese all season.

In the top of the third inning, VCSU took the lead thanks to a bases loaded hit by pitch. Despite walking three and hitting a batter in the inning, Cortese managed to work his way out of the jam allowing just one run by striking out the side.

Dickinson State brought the score back even when Cade Ostenson singled home Balas Buckmaster one play after Matthew Krieger was barely thrown out trying to score from second on a wild pitch. Another bloop single, this time by Buckmaster, gave DSU the lead again in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Vikings again answered with a run in the sixth to tie things at 3-3.

After Alberto Nieto and Mathias Dufner both reached via hit by pitch, Calamayan moved them forward 90 feet with a deep flyout to left field. Calvillo followed with a scorching one hopper past the third baseman scoring both runs and giving DSU a two-run cushion headed to the seventh, and final, inning.

Nieto was on the mound for the seventh after getting the final out of the sixth inning to keep the score tied at the time but gave up a solo home run to start the frame and again make it a one-run game. A two-out walk gave the Vikings a sign of life, but Nieto forced a pop up to shortstop Buckmaster to slam the door shut on the 5-4 win.