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PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Tobin Echo-Hawk
Tobin Echo-Hawk and her former college coach, Rhonda Revelle, embrace before exchanging lineups on Thursday. Revelle is the head coach of Nebraska.

Softball by Ryan Borde

Walks, Errors Cost Vikings In Season-Opening Loss To Nebraska


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TEMPE, Ariz. --
The old addage of walks and errors will come back to hurt you proved ever so true in Portland State's 2011 season opener Thursday afternoon, as the Vikings fell to Nebraska, 11-2, in five innings at the Kajikawa Classic.

Portland State's pitchers walked six Cornhuskers -- and hit two more -- while their defense comitted three errors, all during Nebraska's seven-run fourth inning.

After a scoreless first, Nebraksa took advantage of a hit batter and walk to start the second. Freshman first baseman Tatum Edwards then proceeded to blast a three-run home run in her first collegiate at-bat to give the Cornhuskers all the runs they would need.

Nebraska tacked on a run it the top of the third, before the Vikings showed some life in their half of the inning.

Freshman Becca Bliss led off with a walk and then came around to score on Carly McEachran's triple to left centerfield. Junior transfer Jenna Krogh followed with an infield single to third base, which kept McEachran from scoring. The Vikings then attempted a double steal, but it didn't work after Nebraska second baseman Julie Brecthel cut off the throw from catcher Taylor Edwards and fired back to the plate to get a sliding McEachran.

Just when it looked like they had the momentum, the wheels fell off for the Vikings in the fourth. Three errors, two walks, one hit batter and four hits led to Nebraska racking up seven runs.

The Vikings got one run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI-single by freshman Crysta Conn.

PSU finished with five hits in the contest off of Nebraska starter Ashley Hagemann.

Hagemann worked four innings, walking two and striking out five before giving way to Haley Workman in the fifth.

The Edwards twins did most of the damage for Nebraska, accounting for three of their nine hits and driving in four runs.

Portland State is back in action tomorrow, facing 16th-ranked BYU and 8 a.m. PT, and Nevada at 4 p.m. PT. Both games can be heard on GoViks.com, with the pregame show starting ten minutes before first pitch.

NOTES: PSU lost a season opener for the first time in three tries under Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk ... this is the third straight season that PSU has opened at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State ... Echo-Hawk was facing her alma mater and her former coach, Rhonda Revelle. The two are still very close and Echo-Hawk considers Revelle a mentor. Echo-Hawk was a two-time All-American for the Cornhuskers ... Nichole Latham started and took the loss for the Vikings ... Sadie Lopez had the Vikings' other hit, a double to right field in the fourth inning ... Nebraska redshirt freshman Kylee Muir had a pinch-hit two-run single in the fourth inning. Muir prepped at Portland's Lincoln High School and is just the fifth Oregonian ever to play for the Cornhuskers. Revelle was the first, playing for Nebraska from 1982-84 after graduating from South Eugene High School.
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