VALLEY CITY, N.D. (VCSUVikings.com) – Valley City State and Viterbo combined to score just seven runs Sunday afternoon, but it was enough for Viterbo as the V-Hawks earned a doubleheader sweep against the Vikings.
The V-Hawks took game one of the fall baseball doubleheader, 3-1, and then rallied late for a 2-1 victory in game two.
Valley City State drops to 0-3 during the fall season. Viterbo University improves to 4-2 this season.
Up next: Valley City State hosts Mayville State University for one 9-inning game on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Viterbo plays a doubleheader at Jamestown on Sept. 30.
Viterbo 3, VCSU 1
Valley City State managed just one run in the opener as Viterbo’s pitchers led the V-Hawks to a 3-1 victory.
Viterbo starter Samuel Torsey picked up the win after going five innings on the mound. Torsey gave up just two hits and one unearned run. He walked four and struck out seven. Joe Cliver pitched the final four innings for the save, allowing four hits and striking out six.
Nicholas Vargas took the loss for VCSU despite a solid start. The senior lefty gave the Vikings four innings, scattering six hits and two runs. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Philip Almanza pitched one scoreless inning for VCSU. Marcus Niemann went three innings in relief, giving up two hits and one run while striking out six. Jacob Miller also pitched a scoreless inning for the Vikings.
DJ Wilson went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs to lead Viterbo. He had RBI singles in the first and third innings to put Viterbo up 2-0. The Vikings got one run back in the bottom of the fourth after Grant Wehseler drew a bases-loaded walk, but Torsey induced a groundout to end VCSU’s best threat of the game. Viterbo tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning.
Manny Leyva had two hits for VCSU’s offense, while Braxton Ghelfi and Adam Lowe had two hits each for Viterbo.
Viterbo 2, VCSU 1
The Vikings struck fast in game two as Brady Smith drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first inning and Grant Wehseler followed with an RBI triple for a quick 1-0 lead. The Viking threat quickly fizzled out though as Viterbo turned a 5-3-2 double play, nabbing Wehseler at home as he tried to score on a groundout.
Both teams went scoreless over the next four innings with VCSU starter Jesse Johnson and Viterbo starter Kyle Gilbertson settling in on the mound. Johnson gave the Vikings five shutout innings to start the game before hitting the leadoff batter in the sixth inning. Viterbo then took advantage of a pair of Viking errors in the inning to score two unearned runs and take a 2-1 lead. The V-Hawks threatened for more, but VCSU’s Brady Engebretson struck out two batters with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Valley City State threatened in the bottom of the seventh after Kody Lane and Austin Smith put two runners on with back-to-back one-out singles. Pinch-hitter Cody Kingsbury drove one to the gap in right-center with two outs, but Viterbo’s Noah Bouley made a nice running catch near the wall to end the game.
Kyle Gilbertson went the distance for Viterbo, allowing just six hits and one run. He walked two and struck out three. Adam Lowe and Preston Stach scored Viterbo’s two runs, both of which were unearned in the sixth inning.
Jesse Johnson gave the Vikings five strong innings to start the game. The junior right-hander gave up just four hits and an unearned run. He walked one and struck out five. Engebretson was tough in relief for VCSU, going the final 1 2/3 innings and striking out four.
Lane had a pair of hits to lead VCSU’s offense. Brady Smith had a hit and scored the only run, and Wehseler drove in VCSU’s only run with his triple.