Dickinson, N.D. – Dickinson State finished their perfect tournament run, knocking off top-seeded Bellevue for the second time in as many days to capture the 2024 North Start Athletic Association tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.
DSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Cassidy Venner singled to left field with two runners on base. The ball snuck under the glove of the Bellevue left fielder allowing all three runs to score as Venner circled the bases for a three-base error.
Blue Hawk starter Dallis Mitchell worked around some traffic on the bases for the first three innings, extending her streak of innings without allowing an earned run in the tournament to 23, but the Bruins finally broke through in the fourth to tie the game 3-3.
A one-out single by Madison Machacek got the BU rally going, and back-to-back singles by Myla Beckstrom and Alexa Sidel got Bellevue on the board to make it 3-1 DSU. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Atiana Rodriguez before she lined a single off Mitchell leading to two runs after some aggressive baserunning by the Bruins scored two runs on a ball that didn’t leave the infield.
Mitchell got the next batter to ground out to limit the damage and keep the score tied 3-3.
It didn’t take long for Dickinson State to answer back, as they scored the go-ahead, and eventual winning, run on an RBI ground out by Kara Conway scoring pinch runner Hope Fath from third base.
BU loaded the bases again in the fifth, but Mitchell was able to tight rope walk out of trouble again to maintain the lead, and she worked around two Bruins base runners in the sixth, and the threw a perfect seventh, to clinch her fourth victory of the tournament.
Mitchell’s final line showed 7.0 IP with three runs on five hits while striking out nine and walking four. She also hit two batters.
Bellevue’s Savannah Gunn took the loss after going 4.2 innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out two and walking one.
Dickinson State will now wait to find out where they are headed for the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round with the announcement set to go out at 3 pm MT on Tuesday. The Opening Round will be held at campus sights across the country from May 13-16.