VALLEY CITY, ND  (NewsDakota.com, photo courtesy of VCSUVikings.com)  Only one game was out of hand, and runs were at a premium in the series between Valley City State and Dakota State on the baseball diamond this weekend.

The Vikings took the second game Friday 3-1 after dropping the opening game of the series 12-2, then were swept by Dakota State in a pair of 2-0 loss Saturday.

Dakota State entered the weekend tied for the league lead, and now has 31 wins on the season.  Viking head coach Alec Demaria found positives in how the team played.

“I told the guys that, if you are not going to put all the phases together, you will have to make exceptional plays to win, and they made some exceptional plays in that second game,” said Demaria.

Saturday saw the Vikings held to just six hits in game one, five in game two.  Jaden Babiuk and Jamel Chabot each had three hits in the doubleheader.

The Vikings have a big week ahead.  Trailing third place by a game, they will face Dickinson State Wednesday and Mayville State this coming weekend, both teams trailing the Vikings in the standings.