May 6, 2016

Photos credits by Scott Voigt

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) kicks off their conference softball postseason tournament Friday morning at the Players Softball Complex.  The opening game featured a pitcher's duel between No. 1 seed Dickinson State (N.D.) Alex Watson and No. 8 seed Dakota State (S.D.) Audrey Kosman.  The Blue Hawks held on to a 1-0 victory in the Bracket A portion of the conference tournament.

The only run of the game came in the opening inning where Dickinson State's Alex Vargas and Brianna Grayson with back-to-back doubles, giving the Blue Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Grayson went 2-of-3 at the plate with two doubles and drove in one run for DiSU.  Vargas added a double and a run scored.  Whitney Mesi, who came in the bottom sixth as a pinch hitter, registered a single.

Watson (W, 21-2) won the pitcher's duel after pitching a full seven-inning game.  She struck out a total of 13 Trojans batters in the game and did not allowed a walk.

Kosman led the Trojans with two singles.  She recorded the loss in the pitching circle after tossing a complete game.  Kosman (L, 4-15) struck out seven Blue Hawks batters and gave up three walks.  Tatum Ronke and Shai-Lee Hill each added a single.

Dickinson State moves on to the winner's bracket of the Bracket A section of the NSAA Softball Postseason Tournament.  The Blue Hawks play at 4 p.m., while the Trojans play a loser's out game at 2 p.m. 

No. 4 seed Bellevue (Neb.) and No. 5 seed Presentation (S.D.) is playing the second game of the Bracket A, which will determine the opponents for the next two games.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director