Blue Hawks season comes to a close with loss to top-seed Bellevue

DICKINSON, N.D. – Top seed Bellevue University fought its way back into the NSAA Softball Tournament championship game, using a five-run third inning to defeat No. 3 seed Dickinson State in a loser-out game Sunday afternoon.
 
Bellevue (41-11) will now play No. 2 seed Valley City State University for the NSAA title on Monday. The Bruins will need to defeat VCSU twice to win the championship. Valley City State is currently undefeated after knocking off Bellevue by a score of 9-1 in a semifinal game earlier on Sunday.
 
The first championship game is at 12 p.m. MDT on Monday. If a second game is necessary, it will be played at 2 p.m.
 
Against Dickinson State, the Bruins trailed 1-0 entering the third, but took control with five runs in the inning. Ashley Young and Liana McMurtry delivered the big blows – a pair of two-run singles that helped put Bellevue ahead 5-1. The Bruins tacked on another run in the fourth inning, taking a 6-1 lead on Reese Flore's RBI single.
 
Dickinson State put a handful of runners on in the final innings but the Blue Hawks were unable to push across any more runs.
 
Lauren Jurek pitched four scoreless innings in relief for the Bruins as she picked up the win. Jurek allowed just two hits, walked two and struck out three. Savannah Gunn started for the Bruins and went three innings, giving up three hits and a run. She walked two and struck out one.
 
Alexa Kappel started in the circle for Dickinson State and took the loss, giving up two runs over 2 1/3 innings. Ari Martinez and Dallis Mitchell both pitched in relief.
 
Bellevue scored its six runs on seven hits. Ashley Young was 2-for-2 with a run and two RBIs, while Reese Floro went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. McMurty had a hit and drove in two runs, and both Mya Montero and Sami Reding had a hit.
 
Dickinson State managed five hits in the loss, including two by Rhea Paiva. Hailey Enriquez drove in Dickinson State's only run with a first-inning RBI single. Alexa Kappel and Kennedy Kuntz each had a hit.
 
Dickinson State ends its season with a 25-25 overall record.