Blue Hawks blast four home runs to earn split on Opening Day

Sagan Osborne | Dickinson State Sports Information Director

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Cassidy Venner blasted two home runs in game two to lead Dickinson State to a 10-6 victory over College of Saint Mary and earn a split on opening day at the Presentation College dome in Aberdeen, South Dakota on Friday. The Blue Hawks fell, 7-2, to the University of Jamestown in the first game of the day.

GAME 1

Rhea Paiva went 2-4 for the game, but two big innings by from the University of Jamestown pushed UJ past the Blue Hawks, 7-2, to open the 2023 season.

Dallis Mitchell singled with one out in the first inning, but didn't advance any further, and UJ came back with four runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a quick 4-0 lead. Venner led off the second inning with a walk and advanced to third on a single by Kara Conway, giving the Blue Hawks runners on second and third with nobody out. Alexa Kappel followed with a walk to load the bases, but the Jimmies forced Kaitlyn Rizo to ground into a double play, scoring a run but cutting down the threat.

Haley Enriquez drove in the second DSU run, scoring Paiva from second, to make it 4-2 UJ in the third inning, but that was all the Blue Hawks could push across as a three-run bottom of the fourth inning gave Jamestown a five-run cushion the rest of the way.

For the game, UJ outhit DSU 9-6, and the Blue Hawks committed the only two errors in the game. Kappel took the loss in the circle for DSU, going 1.0 inning and giving up 4 runs on 3 hits with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts.

GAME 2

Dickinson State bashed four home runs, getting blasts from Enriquez and Emma Woodworth to go with Venner's pair, to take down the Flames from College of Saint Mary, 10-6, in the night cap.

CSM jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to back-to-back home runs, but the Blue Hawks roared back with five runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to take control of the game. Paiva singled to lead of the game and Mitchell reached on a fielder's choice to give DSU two runners on. Paiva stole third, and Mitchell advanced on a passed ball, before Ari Martinez drove them both in with a single to knot the score at 2-2. Two batters later, Venner launched the first of her home runs to score Martinez and put the Blue Hawks ahead, 4-2, and after a ground out gave DSU two outs, Woodworth sent one deep as well making it 5-2 DSU.

In the bottom of the second inning, DSU manufactured two more runs without a hit to make it 7-2, but a run scoring double by CSM in the top of the third inning cut the Blue Hawk lead to 7-3. A two-out blast from Venner in the bottom half of the inning got the run right back for Dickinson State to make it 8-3. After a scoreless inning for both teams, the Flames clawed back into the game with a three-run fifth inning, but Enriquez connected for the fourth Blue Hawk blast in the bottom of the sixth inning giving DSU another 4-run cushion.

Arjana Eilers came in to relieve starter Hope Fath in the 5^th inning and provided 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn the save. Fath picked up the win for DSU, going 4.1 innings, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits, walking two and striking out three.

WHATS NEXT

The Blue Hawks will stay in Aberdeen to take on the same two teams tomorrow, February 18, at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm.