VALLEY CITY, N.D. – Game two took four hours and 42 minutes, but Dickinson State salvaged a split in a marathon double header against Valley City State on Saturday. After VCSU took game on in nine innings, the game was scheduled for seven, Dickinson State won game two in thirteen.
The Blue Hawks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in game thanks to doubles from Alberto Nieto and John-Michael Gonzalez Jr and an error from VCSU, but the Vikings responded in the bottom of the second inning with two runs of their own to tie the game.
Another RBI double, this time by Keanu Calamayan, scored Nieto in the fifth inning to give DSU the lead again, 3-2. A lead-off home run by the Vikings in the bottom half of the inning immediately tied the game again, and a misplay at first base with two outs allowed another runner to reach. A passed ball and a wild pitch moved the runner to third, and a double steal scored the run as VCSU took their first lead of the game, 4-3.
With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Alex Stephens came in as a pinch hitter for the Blue Hawks and hammered a ball deep over the center field wall for a game-tying home run.
The score remained 4-4 until the bottom of the ninth when an 0-2 pitch from reliever Moses Dokes bounced away from catcher Kaiden Reeve with the bases loaded allowing the winning run to cross the plate for the Vikings.
Cooper Van Luchene started on the bump for DSU, going 5.0 innings and allowing four runs on five hits, while striking out eight and walking two. Trent Richter gave DSU a strong 2 scoreless innings of relief allowing just one hit and a walk, while Dokes took the loss after going 1.2 innings and allowing the one run on no hits, three strikeouts and two walks.
Nieto went 2-3 with a double and a stolen base to lead the DSU offense, while Gonzalez Jr. went 2-4 as the only other Blue Hawk with multiple hits.
Game two started similarly to game one, as the Blue Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, this time thanks to a wild pitch and an RBI single from Wyatt Wilharm. Unfortunately for DSU, the similarities to game one continued, as VCSU scored two in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 2-2.
A two-out, two-run double by VCSU in the bottom of the third gave the Vikings a 4-2 lead that held until the sixth inning.
Consecutive singles by Alex Stephens and Kaiden Reeve started the inning, and Cameron Erickson moved them both over with a sacrifice bunt to give the Blue Hawks two runners in scoring position with one out. After a strike out made it two outs, Calamayan came through for the Blue Hawks with a two-RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.
The game remained that way late into the night until Calamayan came through again, this time with an RBI triple in the tenth inning to give DSU a 5-4 lead, and Carlos Molina Jr. followed with double to left-center field to make it 6-4.
The Vikings weren't ready for the night to end however, as they rallied for two runs of their own in the bottom half of the tenth, to tie the game. VCSU nearly tied the game with a one out double, but a great relay from Gonzalez Jr. to Jace Buchanan to Erickson to cut down the second runner kept the Blue Hawks ahead for the moment.
The game marched on, deep into the night, before Dickinson State finally delivered the knockout punch. Singles from Wilharm and Gonzalez Jr. started the 13th inning before relief pitcher Moses Dokes, forced into the batting order due to changes earlier in the game, drove a single up the middle scoring Gonzalez Jr. from second base to put the Blue Hawks ahead 7-6. A wild pitch, and a bases clearing double from Calamayan extended the DSU lead to 11-6 before the inning was over.
VCSU did respond with one run in the bottom half of the inning, but Dokes slammed the door from there earning the win in relief.
Dokes went 2.0 innings and allowed just the one run on one hit with four strike outs to cap a seven-pitcher effort from Dickinson State. Patrick Dietz started on the mound for the Blue Hawks, going 4.0 innings and allowing 4 runs on six hits, while striking out five and walking two. Jonathan Lerma, Jacob Scully, Carlos Molina Jr and Jackson Schaubel all had scoreless relief innings in the game, while Tate Williams went 3.0 innings allowing two runs on five hits and five strikeouts.
Calamayan had a fantastic day at the plate to lead the offense, going 4-7 with a double, a triple, and five RBI. Wilharm went 3-5 and Gonzalez Jr went 2-6 as the other Blue Hawks with multi-hit efforts.