Game One Box Score (PDF)  |  Game One Box Score (HTML)

Game Two Box Score (PDF)  |  Game Two Box Score (HTML)

CHUBBUCK, Idaho – Yesterday it was pitching and defense. Today it was the bats that carried Portland State to a pair of victories at Idaho State as the Vikings pounded out 26 hits to easily defeat Idaho State 12-2 in five innings and 13-5 in six innings.

The pitching wasn't too shabby either, as Anna Bertrand, Nichole Latham and Karmen Holladay combined to hold the Bengals to eight hits over the two games. But there is no doubt that Portland State's offense, which has struggled to score runs over the past few weeks, was the difference maker on Sunday.

PSU tallied 13 hits in each game, batting .481 on the day, and got outstanding offensive performances from numerous players. Arielle Wiser went a combined 5-for-7 with five RBIs, Carly McEachran had four hits and also drove in five runs, Jenna Krogh registered four hits, and Lacey Holm and Danielle Lynn each had three.

In the opener, Wiser drove in three runs and Kayla Norrie continued to swing a hot stick, hitting a double off the top of the fence in her second at-bat and blasting a two-run home run in her next trip to the plate.

After Idaho State struck first with two runs in the top of the first, Portland State finally got on board with a four-run second inning. Sadie Lopez singled in the first run and later scored on a wild pitch, and Wiser brought in two more runs with a base hit to center field.

The Vikings then blew the game open by scoring eight runs on eight hits in the third. Crysta Conn plated Norrie and Lynn with a single to right, before McEachran doubled to left center to bring in two more runs. Wiser and Holm both knocked in runs with singles and then Norrie belted her second homer of the season to make it 12-2.

Holm, Lynn, Norrie and Wiser each had two hits in the contest and Brandi Campos hit a pinch-hit double in the fourth.

Vikings starter Nichole Latham bounced back from a shaky first inning to win her 10th game of the year. Latham walked three batters, hit another and gave up a double to Terah Blackwell in the opening frame, but was lights out from there, allowing just three base runners over the next three innings.

Latham (10-7) allowed only three hits and one earned run over four innings, and finished with four strikeouts before giving way to Karmen Holladay in the fifth. Holladay made her first appearance in the circle since 2009 when she was at Oregon State, striking out two and walking one in one inning of work.

"Nichole did a good job of coming back after that first inning and it was nice to finally get Karmen into a game. She hit the first batter she faced and then walked the next, but she came right back with a strikeout and pitched very well," said PSU Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk.

Idaho State used two different pitchers – Kandis Clesson and Christina Rayner – in the game. Clesson took the loss, falling to 6-16 after giving up seven runs on seven hits in two innings.

PSU wasted little time taking control of the second game, scoring two runs in each of the first and second innings.

McEachran led off the bottom of the first with a single to left, Wiser followed with a double to bring in the game's first run, and two batters later, Norrie's sacrifice fly to center allowed Wiser to score after she had moved up to third on a passed ball.

After PSU's first two batters went down in the second, Krogh and McEachran hit back-to-back triples, before Wiser plated McEachran with a single down the left field line.

In the top of the fourth, Idaho State responded with three runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batter.

A two-run double by Lynn in the fifth put the Vikings up 6-3 and then PSU exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game due to the eight-run mercy rule.

McEachran belted a two-run home run in the sixth, Wiser hit her team-leading seventh double, Conn drew a bases-loaded walk and Holladay drove in two runs with a single. Krogh ended the game with an infield single that plated Sadie Lopez from third.

McEachran and Wiser, the Vikings top two hitters in the batting order, both hit 3-for-4 and scored three times. McEachran registered the first three-hit game of her career and also drove in a career-high three runs.

Krogh also had three hits, while Holladay hit 2-for-4.

Anna Bertrand went the distance for the Vikings, improving to 7-8 after scattering five hits with five walks and six strikeouts over six innings.

Amanda Fitzsimmons fell to 0-6 for Idaho State, giving up six runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings.

Echo-Hawk was quick to praise her pitching staff after the two victories, but said that she was most thrilled by the team's offensive explosion.

"It was nice that our bats finally came around," said the third-year head coach. "Idaho State kept coming back, but every time they would score we would answer right back. Our offense really carried us today."

By sweeping the four-game series from the Bengals, Portland State (17-15) put itself back in contention for the PCSC Mountain Division title. At 5-3, the Vikings trail first-place Northern Colorado (7-1) by two games and second place Seattle (6-2) by one game. PSU plays a four-game series at Seattle next Friday and Saturday. All four games can be heard on GoViks.com.

NOTES: The Vikings 25 runs on the day was their most over a two-game span all year. Including the pair of games yesterday, the Vikings had scored just 30 runs over their previous 10 contests ... the 13 runs in game two today were a season high ... PSU has won 10 straight over Idaho State and swept the PCSC four-game series for the second straight year ... 10 of the Vikings' 26 hits went for extra bases, including six doubles ... the Viks had three doubles in each game, a season best ... Krogh hit .800 (4-for-5) and Wiser hit .714 in the two games ... McEachran finished the weekend 6-for-9 (.667) with six RBIs. Four of her six hits went for extra bases. She leads PSU with four homers ... PSU hit .382 over the four games, while Idaho State hit .220.


GAME ONE LINE SCORE

Portland State 12, Idaho State 2 (Apr 17, 2011 at Chubbuck, Idaho) (Game 1)
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Idaho State......... 200 00 -  2  3  1      (7-26, 0-7 PCSC)
Portland State...... 048 0X - 12 13  0      (16-15, 4-3 PCSC)
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Pitchers: Idaho State - Clesson, K.; Rayner, C.(3) and Blackwell, T. Portland State -
LATHAM, Nichole; HOLLADAY, Karmen(5) and HOLM, Lacey; NORRIE, Kayla.
Win-LATHAM, Nichole(10-7)  Loss-Clesson, K.(6-16)  T-1:36  A-0
HR PSU - NORRIE, Kayla (1).
Weather: Sunny and Windy
Clesson, K. faced 3 batters in the 3rd.


GAME TWO LINE SCORE

Portland State 13, Idaho State 5 (Apr 17, 2011 at Chubbuck, Idaho) (Game 2)
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Idaho State......... 000 302  -  5  5  2      (7-27, 0-8 PCSC)
Portland State...... 220 027  - 13 13  1      (17-15, 5-3 PCSC)
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Pitchers: Idaho State - Fitzsimmons; Clesson, K.(5) and Olsin, B.. Portland State -
BERTRAND, Anna and HOLM, Lacey.
Win-BERTRAND, Anna(7-8)  Loss-Fitzsimmons(0-6)  T-2:14  A-150
HR PSU - McEACHRAN, Carly (4).