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Cassidy Venner launches four Home Runs to propel Dickinson State to winning weekend

james b. miller, jr., the dickinson press, n.d.
·5 min read

Feb. 21—ABERDEEN, S.D. — The Dickinson State softball team came out swinging on their opening weekend, securing a split on Friday before sweeping their doubleheader on Sunday. Senior outfielder Cassidy Venner was the standout player of the weekend, launching four home runs and helping power the Blue Hawks to victory.

The Dickinson State softball team kicked off their 2023 campaign with a doubleheader split on Friday at the Presentation College dome in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Blue Hawks dropped their opening game of the day, 7-2, to the University of Jamestown before bouncing back in the nightcap with a 10-6 victory over the College of Saint Mary.

Senior outfielder Cassidy Venner stole the show in the second game, launching two home runs to power the Blue Hawks to their first victory of the season. She was joined in the home run parade by Haley Enriquez and Emma Woodworth, who each hit one out of the park.

After allowing back-to-back home runs to start the game, the Blue Hawks quickly regained control, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Ari Martinez drove in two runs with a single before Venner's first home run of the game gave DSU a 4-2 lead. Woodworth followed with a home run of her own, extending the lead to 5-2.

Dickinson State added two more runs in the second inning without registering a hit, then Venner's second home run of the game and Enriquez's blast in the sixth inning sealed the win for the Blue Hawks.

In the first game of the day, Rhea Paiva went 2-4 at the plate, but it wasn't enough to overcome a strong offensive performance by the University of Jamestown. The Blue Hawks fell behind 4-0 in the first inning and could never quite recover, eventually losing 7-2.

Despite the loss, there were some bright spots for Dickinson State. Venner and Haley Enriquez each had a hit, while Haley Kappel pitched well in relief, striking out two batters in two innings of work.

The Blue Hawks had mixed results on Saturday, as they used a dominant offensive performance to secure a win against College of Saint Mary but fell short in their match against the University of Jamestown.

In their first game against College of Saint Mary, Dickinson State got off to a hot start, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Cassidy Venner extended her consecutive at-bats with a hit streak to seven with a 3-3 performance in the game. She helped fuel the Blue Hawks' offensive outburst, scoring and driving in runs alongside Ari Martinez, Hailey Enriquez, and Kara Conway.

Martinez had a solid outing on the mound, striking out nine batters in 6.1 innings, allowing 3 runs on 11 hits but walking no batters. Alexa Kappel entered in relief in the seventh inning to slam the door on the College of Saint Mary Flames and secure the 10-3 win for the Blue Hawks.

Despite the momentum from their earlier victory, the Blue Hawks struggled in their second game against the University of Jamestown. The Jimmies took a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning before Dickinson State was able to break through and score their first runs. Emma Woodworth went 3-3 and drove in a run, while Kara Conway added an RBI of her own.

However, Jamestown responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to stretch their lead back to three, and held the Blue Hawks scoreless in the seventh to secure the 5-2 win.

The Blue Hawks softball team put on a show Sunday afternoon at the Presentation College dome, sweeping their doubleheader against Doane University in dominating fashion. In two games that saw standout pitching performances, the Blue Hawks secured a 4-2 victory in game one and finished off the sweep with a 9-1 win in game two.

Game one was a tightly contested pitchers' duel for the first five innings, with both teams trading blows in a close match. The Tigers struck first, scoring a run in the top of the first inning, but the Blue Hawks quickly answered back with an RBI single by Dallis Mitchell in the bottom of the inning. Both teams remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning when a sacrifice fly gave Doane a 2-1 lead.

But the Blue Hawks would not go down without a fight. With two outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the sixth inning, Kara Conway connected on a clutch three-run home run to put DSU ahead 4-2. Pitcher Alexa Kappel was equally impressive, going the distance and striking out 11 batters while allowing just three hits and two runs.

In game two, the Blue Hawks picked up right where they left off, taking an early lead in the second inning thanks to an RBI single from Conway. The Tigers cut the lead to 2-1 in the third inning, but the Blue Hawks responded with a pair of RBI doubles from Kaitlyn Rizo and Rhea Paiva in the fourth inning to extend their lead to 4-1.

The Blue Hawks put the game out of reach in the sixth inning, scoring five runs to secure the mercy-rule win. Ari Martinez was dominant in the circle, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out four batters.