Hawks fall one win short of title game

• Marcoux crosses home plate for winning run

Dickinson State senior Nikki Marcoux celebrates after crossing home plate to scoring the game-winning run in her team's 7-6 victroy over Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon. Courtesy Photo by Lenny Gemar
• Kelly Jahn

Dickinson State junior first baseman Kelly Jahn watches her game-winning RBI single during Monday's game against Oklahoma City. Courtesy Photo by Lenny Gemar.
• Erika Arvizo

Couirtesy Photo by Lenny Gemar Dickinson State freshman catcher Erika Arvizo, right, bounces on home plate after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning of DSU’s 3-1 loss to St. Gregory’s on Tuesday night in the NAIA national semifinals.
• DSU softball players hug after loss

Courtesy Photo by Lenny Gemar Dickinson State softball players hug each other after losing out of the NAIA national tournament Tuesday night with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of St. Gregory’s.

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DECATUR, Ala. — The long and wild ride is over.

The Dickinson State softball team’s season ended one win short of the NAIA national championship game Tuesday night.

Wendy Acosta had RBI singles in the first and third innings to help St. Gregory’s defeat the Blue Hawks 3-1 in the national semifinals.

“It was a great run we went on,” DSU coach Guy Fridley said. “It was fun, exciting and I’m just excited for the kids and what we accomplished this year.”

DSU freshman catcher Erika Arvizo had a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh for the third-ranked Blue Hawks’ only run. It looked to be the beginning of a rally, but St. Gregory’s senior pitcher Sharon Bell quickly shut down DSU and put her team in Wednesday’s national title game against No. 1-ranked California Baptist.

“They got on us early and they just held onto that lead,” Fridley said. “… During the whole game, we couldn’t muster a string of hits together.”

Bell stuck out 10 while battling DSU sophomore Sara Jane Webster, who fanned six. The Los Angeles native ends the season with a 28-5 record in the circle and 331 strikeouts. Both are school and Dakota Athletic Conference single-season records.

The title game will be a rematch of an earlier loss for St. Gregory’s. Cal Baptist beat the seventh-ranked Cavaliers 5-4 Tuesday.

The Blue Hawks end their season with a 42-5 record, the best in the team’s nine-year history. DSU was also 6-2 at the national tournament, its best performance in three trips.

The season was full of highlights, including a 28-game winning streak that St. Gregory’s snapped earlier in the tournament.

“If you could put one word to what the year was, it was special,” Fridley said.

DSU began its final day of the season with a dramatic victory in the playback round.

Kelly Jahn singled down the right-field line in the bottom of the seventh inning to send Nikki Marcoux home for the game-winning run to beat sixth-ranked Oklahoma City 7-6 in a loser-out game.

Jahn’s RBI erased a nearly catastrophic top of the seventh when Oklahoma City (53-9) erased a 6-1 DSU lead and scored five runs off six hits and one Blue Hawk error.

“We battled, we persevered, we hung on and Kelly Jahn came up with one of the biggest hits of her career,” Fridley said.

DSU scored five runs in the fifth inning to take its initial lead. Oklahoma City left fielder Bianca Bryant dropped Marcoux’s pop fly into left field, allowing Heather Kelley and Ashley Neufeld to give DSU a 3-1 advantage.

On the next at-bat, DSU shortstop Danielle Crawford crushed a three-run homer to left field, giving her team what seemed like a comfortable lead.

Marcoux started the game and pitched into the seventh inning, where she gave up a two-run homer to Oklahoma City third baseman Melissa Moore before being replaced by Webster.

Webster struggled as well, allowing four hits and two earned runs while earning the win.

Oklahoma City tied the game when Marcoux misplayed a fly ball in left field that allowed Katie Proffitt to score.

Despite the no-decision, Marcoux was solid in the circle. She threw 101 pitches, striking out three, walking three and giving up 10 hits and three earned runs.

Dickinson State 7, Oklahoma City 6

OKC 001 000 5 — 6 14 2

DSU 001 050 1 — 7 7 1

Lily LaVelle, Ashley Wilburn (6) and Erin Slettvet. Nikki Marcoux, Sara Jane Webster (7) and Amanda Perrott, Erika Arvizo (7). W–Webster. L–Wilburn. HR–OKC, Melissa Moore; DSU, Danielle Crawford.

Highlights: OKC, Amanda Howard 2-for-4; Melissa Moore 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Laurin Hess 2-for-3, RBI, 2B, run, SB; Jen Davis 3-for-4, RBI. DSU, Webster 2-for-4, 2 runs, 1 IP, 1 K, 1 BB, 2 ER; Jody Lantz 1-for-3, 2B, RBI; Nicole Marcoux 0-for-3, 2 runs, IP, 3 K, 3 BB, 10 H, 3 ER; Danielle Crawford 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI; Kelly Jahn 2-for-3, 2B, RBI.

Records: OKC 53-9.

St. Gregory’s 3, Dickinson State 1

SGU 201 000 0 — 3 7 0

DSU 000 000 1 — 1 5 0

Sharon Bell and Cortney Reynaga. Sara Jane Webster and Erika Arvizo. W–Bell (29-8). L–Webster (28-4) HR–DSU, Arvizo.

Highlights: SGU, Heather Humphrey 1-for-4, run; Kyra Hart 1-for-2, run; Reynaga 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, run; Wendy Acosta 2-for-3, 2 RBI; Bell CG, 10 K, 2 BB, 1 ER, 5 H. DSU, Webster CG, 6 K, 1 BB, 3 ER, 7 H; Jody Lantz 2-for-2; Kelly Jahn 2-for-3; Arvizo 1-for-3, HR, RBI.

Records: DSU 42-5, SGU 43-15.

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