Sagan Osborne – Dickinson State Sports and Marketing Information Director
Dickinson, N.D. – Dickinson State swept a conference doubleheader at home against Mayville State on Saturday, improving to 19-9 overall and 5-1 in the North Star Athletic Association. The Blue Hawks won the opener 5-0 behind a complete game shutout from senior Alison Eldridge, then erupted for 16 runs in game two to win 16-4 in five innings.
In the first game, Eldridge was dominant, allowing just two hits and striking out seven over seven innings to earn the shutout victory. The right-hander faced 27 batters and did not allow a runner past third base. She improved to 8-5 on the season.
Dickinson State opened the scoring in the first after Allyson Farrington was hit by a pitch and later came around to score on an error. Brooke Lijewski capped the frame with a two-run single to center, driving in Jersi Morse and Celina Wilharm to give the Blue Hawks a 3-0 lead.
In the second, HaiLeigh Davis singled and later scored on an RBI single by Wilharm. In the fifth, Wilharm doubled to right center and scored on another RBI single by Lijewski, who finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Wilharm went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
Davis added two hits in three at-bats and threw out a runner at second base defensively. Bailey Hansen, Kiley Hubby, and Ashlee Potter also collected hits. The Blue Hawks did not issue a walk and committed two errors but worked around trouble to secure the shutout.
In game two, Dickinson State struck early and often, scoring in each of the first four innings and building a 16-2 lead. The Blue Hawks pounded out 12 hits and drew eight walks while taking advantage of four Mayville errors.
Wilharm and Lijewski provided the power in the first inning, each hitting solo home runs to give Dickinson State a 2-0 lead. In the second, the Blue Hawks extended the lead with five more runs. Farrington drove in a run with a single, and both Farrington and Cassidy Venner stole bases to plate another run. Morse reached on an error to score Farrington, and Lijewski delivered a two-run double to make it 7-0.
Mayville answered with two runs in the bottom of the second, but Dickinson State responded with an eight-run third. Davis started the scoring with an RBI single, and Morse reached on an error to bring home another run. Wilharm and Hubby followed with run-scoring singles, and Jai Maddox-Hernandez and Venner each added RBIs as the lead grew to 15-2.
The Blue Hawks scored one final run in the fourth when Hubby walked with the bases loaded. Hubby finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Lijewski went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, giving her six on the day.
Jahner started in the circle and earned the win, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing four runs on nine hits with four strikeouts. Reannan Butler came on in relief and threw 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out five of the seven batters she faced.
Wilharm finished the second game 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk. Farrington, Hansen, Conway, Venner, and Davis all contributed to the 12-hit attack. Eleven different Blue Hawks reached base in the win.
Defensively, Dickinson State played solid behind its pitching staff, committing just one error in game two. Jahner and Butler combined for nine strikeouts and walked only two.
In total, Dickinson State outscored Mayville State 21-4 in the doubleheader and outhit the Comets 21-13. The Blue Hawks stole seven bases on the day and had 17 RBIs as a team.
Eldridge, Jahner, and Butler combined to allow only four earned runs over 12 innings while striking out 16 and walking just four. Lijewski led the offense with five hits and six RBIs in the two games, while Wilharm added four hits, three RBIs, and four runs scored.