Dakota State (S.D.) softball split Frontier Conference doubleheader against Bellevue (Neb.) on Wednesday, falling 4-3 in the opener before responding with a 4-1 victory in the nightcap at the newly Renner Dennis Outdoor Athletic Complex. It marked the second straight year that the Trojans and the Bruins split their conference four-game series.
Bellevue used a four-run stretch across the first two innings and held off a late Dakota State push to take the opener.
akota State jumped out early with two runs in the first inning. Quincy Hartley drew a bases-loaded walk and Ally Morrissey followed with an RBI single to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
Bellevue answered immediately, capitalizing on an error to tie the game in the bottom of the first before adding two more runs in the second. Kaitlyn Fisher’s RBI triple and Marguerite Brown’s RBI single gave the Bruins a 4-2 advantage.
The Trojans cut the deficit to one in the sixth inning when Alexis Resseguie scored on a Bellevue error, but Dakota State was unable to find the equalizer in the seventh.
Dakota State responded in the second game behind timely hitting and a complete-game performance from Maycee Bricker.
The Trojans broke through in the second inning when Hartley blasted a two-run home run to right field, scoring Rabe for a 2-0 lead.
Dakota State added another run in the third on Alexia Hayden’s RBI double, extending the lead to 3-0. Bellevue got on the board in the fourth with a solo home run by Miranda Garcia, but that was all the offense the Bruins could muster.
The Trojans tacked on an insurance run in the fifth as Brenley Goebel stole home during a strikeout play, sealing the 4-1 victory.
Bricker controlled the game in the circle, limiting Bellevue to one run on seven hits over seven innings. She matched her single season wins total since 2022-23 with eight pitching wins. Bricker is fifth all-time in pitching wins with 24, one win shy of tying for fourth most wins with Dakota Novotny with 25 career pitching wins from 2007-09.
Dakota State improved to 13-27 overall, and 5-15 in the league. Bellevue is 19-20 overall and 9-9 in the Frontier.
Dakota State continues their Frontier Conference action on the road Sunday and Monday, note date change due to poor weather forecast on Friday and Saturday in North Dakota. The Trojans visit the conference’s leader Dickinson State (N.D.) in a four-game series at Bravera Field, starting on Sunday with a doubleheader at 3 p.m. (Central Time)/2 p.m. (Mountain Time).
