BELLEVUE, N.E. — Dickinson State closed out the regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Bellevue on Saturday, earning 3-2 and 7-2 victories to finish atop the Frontier Conference standings. The Blue Hawks improved to 36-12 overall and will enter the Frontier Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed after securing the regular season championship.
Game 1: DSU: 3; BU: 2
Dickinson State used a late rally to secure a 3-2 win in the opener.
The Blue Hawks took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning as Stocktyn Stevenson doubled and later scored on an RBI groundout by Brooke Lijewski. Bellevue answered in the sixth inning with two runs to take a 2-1 lead.
Dickinson State responded in the seventh inning. Jessa Duggan reached on a walk and Izzy Kelly advanced the runners. An error by Bellevue allowed the tying run to score before Stevenson delivered a two-RBI single to center field, giving the Blue Hawks a 3-2 advantage.
Ava Jahner earned the win, throwing six innings and allowing two runs on four hits. Reannan Butler recorded the save, retiring the side in the seventh inning.
Dickinson State finished with five hits and did not commit an error in the game.
Game 2: DSU: 7; BU: 2
The Blue Hawks completed the sweep with a 7-2 win in the second game, using a five-run fifth inning to break the game open.
Dickinson State took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Kiley Hubby. The score remained unchanged until the fifth, when the Blue Hawks capitalized on multiple scoring opportunities.
Dickinson State loaded the bases and scored five runs in the inning, using a combination of walks and timely hits to extend the lead to 6-0.
Bellevue responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Dickinson State added an insurance run in the sixth inning to secure the win.
The Blue Hawks totaled nine hits in the game, with several players contributing offensively. Stocktyn Stevenson reached base multiple times and scored twice, while Octavia Meyer and Brooke Lijewski each recorded multiple hits.
Reannan Butler earned the win, tossing a complete game and allowing two runs, none earned, on five hits while striking out five.
With the sweep, Dickinson State carries momentum into postseason play after winning the Frontier Conference regular season title. The Blue Hawks will open play at the Frontier Conference Tournament next week on April 30th at 12:30pm in Dickinson, N.D..
