ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Dickinson State University (DSU) softball team grabbed a pair of wins against conference opponent, Presentation College, on Thursday afternoon. The Blue Hawks took game one 6-0 and followed with a 6-3 win in game two for the day one sweep. With the wins, the Blue Hawks improve to 15-21 overall and 7-7 in North Star play.
Game One: Dickinson State 6, Presentation College 0
It took until the sixth inning for either team to score in the first game of the four-game series in Aberdeen, South Dakota. After a scoreless five innings, the Blue Hawks got on the board in the top of the sixth inning for the 3-0 lead. Emilie Sickler got things started with a lead-off single to first-base and moved into scoring position after a sacrifice hit by Rhea Paiva on the next at-bat. After a Dallis Mitchell single to center field to advance Sickler, Ari Martinez reached base on a fielder's choice – with Sickler and Mitchell crossing home plate on an error. With two outs, the Blue Hawks tagged on their third run of the inning after an Emma Woodworth RBI single to center field to score pinch runner Olivia Hanke.
After holding the PC offense silent in the bottom of the inning, the Blue Hawks went back to work offensively – pushing their lead up to six – after a four-hit, three-run seventh inning. After starting the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, Emilie Sickler got things rolling with a single to center field. In addition, Sickler moved into scoring position after an error by PC's first baseman on the same play. On the next at-bat, Rhea Paiva notched her first RBI of the game after a single to left field. After a stolen base by Paiva on the next at-bat, Dallis Mitchell connected for a deep double to right field to bring home Paiva. With the five-run lead, Ari Martinez knocked in the final run of the game after an RBI single to center field.
From the Box Score –
Dallis Mitchell picked up the win from the circle as she let up a low four hits, while holding the PC offense scoreless in the 6-0 shutout victory. Mitchell sat down six Saints in seven innings of work.
Of the team's nine hits in the game, Dallis Mitchell and Emilie Sickler led the team with two hits each. The final five hits came off the bats of Rhea Paiva, Ari Martinez, Katelyn Kubitschek, Emma Woodworth, and Kennedy Kuntz.
Game Two: Dickinson State 6, Presentation College 3
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, the Blue Hawks got things rolling with a solo shot over the left field fence by Kennedy Kuntz in the second inning. However, the Saints responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning to tie things at 1-1.
DSU regained their lead after a two-run fourth inning for the 3-1 advantage. Kennedy Kuntz started the inning off with a single to center field and moved into scoring position after a stolen base. Kuntz would then cross home plate after a PC error. On the next at-bat, Kara Conway singled to right field and pinch runner Kamryn Kuntz moved to third base after a stolen base and a wild pitch on the next at-bat. After a Paige Callahan walk to put runners on the corners, Callahan moved into scoring position after another stolen base in the inning. The final run of the inning came off the bat of Rhea Paiva to score Kamryn Kuntz for the fourth run of the game.
The Blue Hawks tagged on another run in the top of the fifth inning off the bat of Kara Conway to score Katelyn Kubitschek – who reached base on a lead-off walk to start the inning.
With the 4-1 lead, PC knocked in a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut into the Blue Hawks' lead. However, the Blue Hawks' offense continued to stay dominant as they added two more runs in the final two innings for the 6-2 lead.
Although the PC offense was able to knock in another run in the seventh, it was not enough as the Blue Hawks swept the first day of the four-game series with a 6-3 win in game two.
From the Box Score –
The Blue Hawks knocked around ten hits in the win with Ari Martinez, Kennedy Kuntz and Kara Conway leading the team with two hits, while Rhea Paiva, Katelyn Kubitschek, Emma Woodworth and Madison Stephens rounded out the final four hits in the game.
Ari Martinez took the win from the mound as she let up ten hits for three runs (2ER) in 31 batters faced. Martinez walked two and sat down three PC batters in seven innings of work.
