Box Score 

EUGENE, Ore. - Behind Anna Bertrand throwing a complete game shutout in the circle and Carly McEachran's fourth home run of the season, the Portland State softball team earned a 2-0 NCAA tournament win over Mississippi State Friday afternoon at Howe Field in Eugene, Ore. It is the first NCAA win for the Vikings under head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk.

Bertrand took the circle Friday after giving up six runs in two thirds of an inning Thursday night and looked like a completely different pitcher. Her command was there from the first pitch of the game picking up a strikeout in the first inning.

Each team stranded a runner in the first, and a runner in the third but could not mount much of an offense.

Freshman Alicia Fine led off the fourth by reaching on an error by the shortstop. She was then moved to second on a Brittany Hendrickson single through the right side. Crysta Conn reached when Hendrickson was forced out at second moving Fine to third. Pinch hitter Aubrey Nitschelm popped out and then Kayla Norrie struck out to end the inning, killing the Viking's first opportunity to pick up a run.

After Bertrand stranded two runners in the top of the fifth, McEachran blasted her fourth home run of the season to right-center field to break the scoreless tie.

The Vikings added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. With a runner at third the Mississippi State pitcher Kylie Vry threw an illegal pitch advancing the runners and giving the Vikings a 2-0 lead.

Bertrand finished her 25th complete game of the season and her 10th shutout to improve to 23-12 on the season.

Vry earned the loss in the game and dropped to 9-10 on the season.

With the win the Vikings will face BYU at 5:00 p.m. PDT in their second elimination game of the day. 

Notes: The Vikings earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 2006 ... The win is the first NCAA win for head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk ... Carly McEachran hit her fourth home run of the season ... Anna Bertrand threw her 25th complete game of the year and her 10th shutout.