VALLEY CITY, N.D (vcsuvikings.com) – Dustin Mertz hit two home runs and had seven RBIs in game one Tuesday as the Valley City State baseball team split a conference doubleheader with Mayville State
Mertz hit a grand slam in the fifth inning and a two-run shot in the eighth inning of the opening game, powering the Vikings to a 10-1 victory. In game two, Mayville State scored five early runs en route to an 8-3 victory.
Valley City State is now 13-18 overall and 6-4 in the North Star Athletic Association. Mayville State, which entered the night with a share of the conference lead, is now 18-9 overall and 7-3 in conference play.
Up next: Valley City State hosts Bellevue University for a four-game series this weekend in Valley City. Saturday’s doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. and Sunday’s games begin at 12 p.m.
VCSU 10, Mayville State 1
Viking pitchers Matthew Suda and Zach Veneman combined to allow just five hits and one run in the opener, turning in strong pitching performances in VCSU’s 10-1 victory.
Suda started on the mound and went 5 2/3 innings for the win, giving up four hits and a run. He walked five and struck out three. Veneman pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to earn a save, allowing just one hit. He walked one and struck out two.
Mayville State pushed across its only run in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead. VCSU tied the game in the fourth inning when Jorun Hamre scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Reynolds. The Vikings then broke the game open in the fifth inning.
Gedeon Ellis opened the inning with a single and later scored on David Demeter‘s RBI double, giving the Vikings a 2-1 lead. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Mertz hit an opposite field grand slam off the scoreboard in right field, putting the Vikings ahead 6-1. VCSU tacked on two more runs in the sixth – including an RBI single by Hamre – and then Mertz capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
After a monster week that earned him the NSAA Player of the Week award, Mertz continued to mash on Tuesday. He finished the game 3-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Both Gedeon Ellis and Jayden Shipman went 2-for-3. Hamre and Demeter each had a hit and an RBI, and Dalton Rambow collected his first career hit on a pinch-hit appearance in the eighth inning.
Marcus Hughes and Jared McCorrister each had two hits to lead Mayville’s offense. Seven different Comets pitched in the game.
Mayville State 8, Valley City State 3
The Comets put together a five-run first inning as they took control early en route to a game two victory. RBI hits from Skylar Forst and Tyler Ferrera highlighted the inning for Mayville State.
The Vikings got two runs back in the second inning, cutting the deficit to 5-2, but could get no closer as Mayville scored insurance runs in each of the final three innings.
Calvin Watkins earned the win for Mayville, pitching four innings and allowed four hits and two runs. Parker Stohr pitched a scoreless fifth inning and Kenny Stewart worked the final two innings to close out the Comet victory.
VCSU used four pitchers in the game, including the first career appearances by freshmen Parker Vilandre and Jace Hanson. Starting pitcher Chase Feller took the loss, giving up five runs in two innings.
Hamre and Mertz each had two hits to lead the Viking offense. Ellis and Reynolds each had a hit, and Reynolds drove in two runs.
Mayville State finished with nine hits in the game. Marcus Hughes was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs, and Skylar Forst went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Tyler Ferrera had two RBIs.