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

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


SEATTLE – Three Portland State pitchers combined to hold Seattle to just five hits and the Vikings extended their winning streak to eight games with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday at Logan Field in PCSC Mountain Division action.

Nichole Latham and Karmen Holladay teamed up a three-hitter in game one, helping the Vikings to a 10-0, five-inning victory, before Anna Bertrand scattered two hits in a complete-game effort to lift PSU to a 2-0 win.

The two victories, combined with Northern Colorado splitting at Utah Valley today, puts the Vikings into a tie for first place in the division at 9-3. UNC is also 9-3, while Utah Valley is third at 7-5.

PSU has swept its last two four-game division series after losing three of four to Utah Valley, and has won a season-best eight straight games to move to 21-15 on the year.

Yesterday, the Vikings pounded out 28 hits in sweeping the Redhawks, and they carried the momentum over into Saturday's opener, racking up 10 over the first two innings and 12 in the game on their way to a relatively easy victory.

As the designated home team due to conference rules, the Vikings struck for three runs in the bottom of the first in the opener, then tacked on five more in the second.

Carly McEachran, Jenna Krogh and Arielle Wiser, the Vikings 1-2-3 hitters in the lineup, led off the first game with three straight singles. Wiser drove in McEachran with a base hit to center field, before Crysta Conn was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lacey Holm followed with a two-run single through the left side, putting the Vikings up 3-0.

PSU's offense kept things going with six hits in the second inning. Sadie Lopez started things with a double, McEachran singled and Krogh plated both runners with a line drive double down the left field line. Three batters later, Holm knocked in two more runs with a single to right field. Danielle Lynn later made it 8-0 with a RBI-double to the left center gap.

While the Vikings' offense was rolling, Latham cruised through the second and third innings after hitting a batter and walking another in the first. Latham sat the Redhawks down in order in the second, then gave up a leadoff single to Jessica Amador to start the next frame. After getting Sarah Petosa to fly out, Latham induced Natalie Leyland into an inning-ending double play.

Latham (12-7) allowed just one hit in her three innings of work and struck out one. Holladay pitched the final two innings, giving up two hits in her second appearance of the season.

McEachran paced the Vikings with a 3-for-3 effort, her second three-hit performance in four games. Krogh went 2-for-3, while Holm and Wiser both had two hits in as many at-bats.

The Vikings' bats fell silent in the second game, but it didn't matter as Bertrand pitched her second complete-game shutout of the weekend. The sophomore righty gave up just two singles – both to Katie Gould – and struck out four while walking three.

Bertrand (9-8) retired nine straight batters at one point over the third, fourth and fifth innings. She got into trouble in the sixth after walking a pair of Redhawks, but was able to escape a two-out bases loaded jamb by getting Theresa Clark to fly out to shallow left field. In the seventh, Gould led off with a bloop infield single, but Amandor hit into a 6-4-3 double play and Petosa lined out to third to end the game.

PSU tallied just four hits of of Seattle pitcher Richelle Ashburn, with Karmen Holladay batting 2-for-3. Lopez and Lynn each hit 1-for-2.

Lynn drove in the Vikings' first run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Holladay added an insurance run with a RBI-single up the middle in the fourth.

Vikings Head Coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said she was pleased that her team didn't come out flat after outscoring Seattle, 17-6, in the two wins yesterday. She added that the Redhawks had extra motivation as it was Senior Day at Logan Field.

"It was a key weekend for us. We needed to come out of here with four wins," said the third year head coach. "The kids rose to the occasion all weekend and especially today. It was the final home game for their (Seattle's) seniors, so we knew we had to bring everything we had today. I was really happy with our performance all weekend long."

Portland State is back in action on Tuesday, hosting North Dakota in a doubleheader, before heading to Northern Colorado next weekend for four games.

NOTES: PSU extended its winning streak over Seattle to nine straight. The Vikings lead the all-time series, 16-2 ... Seattle fell to 9-30, 5-8 PCSC. The Redhawks entered the weekend in a three-way tie with PSU and Utah Valley for second place ... Wiser tallied her team-leading 13th multi-hit game in the opener. She also leads the squad with six multi-RBI games ... Bertrand, who didn't give up a run all weekend, lowered her ERA from 3.59 to 3.16 ... McEachran saw her career-best seven-game hitting streak end in the second contest after going hitless in three at-bats ... the Vikings hit .386 over the weekend. Seattle batted just .154. PSU outhit SU, 44-14 ... Conn (4-8) and Wiser (7-14) both hit .500 ... Wiser, who has 191 hits in her career, took over sole possession of fifth place in the PSU record book. She also moved up to fourth in runs (105) and a tie for sixth in at-bats (644).