Complete game notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK: The Portland State softball team (10-11) looks to get in its first home contests of 2012 when they welcome in Boise State (23-10) for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 27. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

GAMES NO. 22 & 23
vs. Boise State (23-10)
Tuesday, March 27  •  1 p.m.  •  Doubleheader
Portland, Ore.  •  Erv Lind Stadium

SERIES INFO
All-time: PSU leads 3-1
At PSU: First meeting
Streak: BSU 1

HOW TO FOLLOW THE VIKS THIS WEEK: Fans can follow Tuesday's games online through GoViks.com. A free live audio broadcast with Teri Mariani calling the action will be available, as will live stats. Links for everything can be found by clicking on the LIVE EVENTS tab on the front of GoViks.com.?

RAIN OUTS: Rain has played havoc on the Vikings schedule the past two weeks, as five of their past seven scheduled dates have been rained out. They lost a doubleheader against North Dakota to rain on March 12, in what was supposed to be their first home games, then had a single game against No. 1 Alabama called after two innings of play on March 14, also because of rain. In Boise last weekend, the Vikings only got in two of their five games, losing to the host Broncos, 6-5, and defeating Utah State, 11-5. While rain was the culprit on Friday and Saturday, it was actually snow that cancelled the tourney on Sunday. There is a forecast of rain for Tuesday's games against Boise State, so we shall see if the Vikings finally get to play a full seven innings at Erv Lind Stadium.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Since 2006, Portland State is 71-27 (.724) at Erv Lind Stadium, including 51-10 (.836) in league games. Under Tobin Echo-Hawk, PSU is 31-15 (.674) overall and 24-4 (.857) in PCSC action. All of those victories have also added up to a huge advantage on the scoreboard, as they have outscored the opposition 432-199 overall and 311-101 in PCSC games since 2006. In three years under Echo-Hawk, they have outscored teams 214-100 and 162-43 in PCSC play.

SWIPING BASES: On March 17, vs. Utah State, the Vikings swiped a season-best six bases. It was their highest total since stealing six against Seattle on March 29, 2009. Over the past few weeks they have become more aggressive on the base paths, stealing at least one base in six of their last seven games and 13 total over that span. Over their first 14 games, PSU had just six stolen bases.

SHE COULD LEAVE AS THE BEST EVER: In just over two seasons on the Park Blocks, junior Anna Bertrand has established herself as one of the best pitchers ever to don a Viking uniform. She is 40-25 with a 2.16 ERA and 482 Ks over her two-plus years in the circle. She has moved up from sixth to fourth in career strikeouts at PSU, taking over the number four slot from Michelle Hext (445/2003-06) on Feb. 26 against Saint Mary's. She also joined the top 10 for victories on March 3 against UC Davis, for games started on March 3 against Maine and for appearances on Feb. 19, and is close to joining the top 10 in shutouts (10, needs four more). Additionally, her 7.88 strikeout ratio is the best ever at PSU and her ERA is the second-best ever during PSU's DI era (1999-present). A two-time first team All-PCSC Mountain Division pitcher, Bertrand won 11-straight decisions down the stretch last year to help the Viks win the division title. Over her career she has tallied eight double-digit strikeout performances, including fanning 16 against Idaho State on April 24, 2010, and against Nevada on Feb. 11, 2011. Finally, her 218 Ks in 2010 are the second highest single season mark in PSU history and the sixth-best in PCSC history.

THE WORKHORSE: After two years of sharing the circle with all-conference pitcher Nichole Latham, Anna Bertrand has been nothing short of a workhorse for the Vikings in the circle this spring, throwing 103 1/3 of their 135 1/3 innings and appearing in 18 of their 21 games. As always, she continues to shine and leads the PCSC in strikeouts (99) and strikeouts looking (25), while also ranking second in innings pitched and opponent batting average (.216), fourth in ERA (2.24) and tied for fourth in victories (8).

SWINGING A BIG STICK: Senior Karmen Holladay has been swinging a big stick to start the year, hitting over .300 in four of the first five tournaments. She earned her first PCSC Mountain Division Player of the Week honor on March 20, after going 4-for-6 with two homers, a double and seven RBI over two games in Boise. For the season, 13 of her 23 hits have gone for extra bases. She leads the team in batting average (.371), doubles (6), home runs (7), RBIs (18), multi-hit games (7) and multi-RBI games (5). In the PCSC, Holladay is second in slugging (.806), third in homers, tied for sixth in doubles, eighth in total bases (50) and 10th in batting average. Additionally, she has already surpassed her home run (4) and doubles (4) totals of a year ago.

HOMERIN' HOLLADAY: With two more home runs in Boise, Karmen Holladay now has seven in 2012, which ties her for ninth on the single-season list at Portland State. Her 11 career round trippers ranks her eighth all-time on the Park Blocks, leaving her one short of seventh, two shy of sixth and four shy of fifth.

SWEET SWINGING FRESHMAN: Freshman IF/DP Brittany Hendrickson has opened her Viking career in brilliant fashion, batting .317 through the first 21 games. She hit .533 (8-for-15) in Las Vegas, tallying two hits in four of five games and in each of the final three. A lefty, Hendrickson has perhaps the sweetest looking swing on the club. She had one of her best games against No. 9/10 Stanford on Feb. 11, going 2-for-3 with a double to left center. She could have easily had another double if not for a nice play in the left center gap by Cardinal centerfielder Sarah Hassman. Against Long Beach State on Feb. 19, she racked up four RBIs, including three on her first triple. She is currently second on the team in hits (20), doubles (3) and slugging percentage (.444), and third in batting average, RBIs (9) and on-base percentage (.368).

IT'S A FINE TIME: Over the past several weeks, freshman SS Alicia Fine has upped her game, raising her batting average from .250 on March 1, to her current mark of .300. Fine has batted .333 (6-for-18) with two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs over the past six games. She hit what appeared to be her first career home run against No. 1 Alabama on March 14, but it was wiped out after the game was cancelled after two innings. It didn't matter, as she belted a two-run shot against Boise State on March 16, to tie the game up in the top of the seventh. In her next at-bat, which game the next day vs. Utah State, Fine hit a solo shot and finished the game 2-for-4.

BALL MAGNET: In what has become somewhat of a running joke, sophomore Crysta Conn has been referred to as a ball magnet by her teammates and coaches. After getting hit by a pitch six times last year, which was three more than anyone else on the squad, Conn has already been hit eight times this season, which is a school single season record. Her total of 14 is now the all-time record on the Park Blocks as she passed up Mandy Hill (13) in early March.