Ordinarily here at BEK, our broadcasts are spread out. We pride ourselves on being truly statewide, and delivering content across the Peace Garden State into North Dakota homes. But sometimes, our universe comes down to one place. As I sit in Fargo getting ready to broadcast a Bison baseball game, let’s look back at a pair of Bison softball games from just across the way.
NDSU and SDSU is always a great rivalry. No matter the sport, the tensions run deep and the games tend to be excellent. And for the most part, that’s what we saw at Shelly Ellig as the Bison welcomed in the Jacks. But not in the first game. North Dakota State is one of the top teams in the Summit League, and they showed that in the early stages of this series. Zoe Stavrou had just an incredible series, and got it going right away. Vanessa Anderson knocked her in, and NDSU took the lead in the 1st. They would never relinquish it. Montana DeCamp brought in Anderson, and NDSU wrapped up an incredible first inning seeing SDSU go down quietly. Then in the 2nd Zoe Stavrou got a RBI of her own, and Bre Beatty got two. Then Julia Luciano had two as well, and this thing was over. Jacquelyn Sertic is one of the nation’s top pitchers, and other than one mistake she was flawless in this one. SDSU would fall 9-3, and the Bison had won the first game of the series (something they hadn’t done as much as they would like in league play.)
So we fast forward to Game 3 (spoiler alert) with the Bison looking for a sweep. Sertic returned to the circle, and picked up right where she left off. In fact, she may have been even better. 9 stirkeouts, escaping trouble when it did arise, and simply making batters miss. She would go the distance with the shutout intact. Madison Hope was also excellent on the other side, inducing weak contact all night. Neverthless, the Bison pushed across one run as Tabby Heinz (who had been crazy unlucky to this point) sent one into center field scoring Bre Beatty. That was the difference in the ballgame as Hope took her second tough luck loss of the series and the Bison got their first conference sweep since the beginning of April, and their second on the year. Now, they’re tied with W. Illinois for the top spot in the SL, putting themselves in a great spot once again as the season nears its end. The Bison Baseball season, though, still has plenty of time remaining. Including a matchup with the Vikings of Valley City State…
