Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game 1 Box Score - PDF | HTML
Game 2 Box Score - PDF | HTML

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Vikings opened the second day of the Wildcat Invitational with their biggest offensive output of the season defeating UC Riverside 11-3 in five innings led by Brittany Hendrickson's five RBI game. Portland State concluded the day falling to No. 17 Arizona 12-3 in five innings.

Hendrickson went 2-for-2 against UC Riverside with a three-run home run, walk, sacrifice fly, and a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. Her five RBIs are the most since Alicia Fine drove in five at Northern Colorado last season.

Portland State hit three home runs against UC Riverside. It was the third time this season that the Vikings have hit three long balls in a single game.

The Vikings' bats definitely came alive on the second day of the Wildcat Invitational as they hit .438 as a team with nine players recording multiple hits on the day.

Game 1 – Portland State (5-13) 11, UC Riverside (7-11) 3

UC Riverside scored the first run in the top of the first inning on a RBI single to left field to take an early 1-0 lead.

Carly McEachran led off the bottom of the first for the Vikings with her sixth home run of the season. That would be just the beginning for the Vikings. Two batters later Alicia Fine doubled to left field. Lauran Bliss came up next and worked a nine pitch walk before Brittany Hendrickson blasted a three-run home run to give the Vikings a 4-1 lead.

Hendrickson's home run chased the UC Riverside starter from the game. Alexa Morales came up two batters after the pitching change and hit her third home run of the year, third home run for the Vikings in the inning, to give them a 5-1 lead through one complete.

After giving up a run in the first, Vikings' starter Raya Johnson held the Highlanders scoreless for the next three innings.

McEachran led off the second with a double to left center and was driven in by Becca Bliss who singled up the middle increasing the Vikings' lead to 6-1 through two innings.

Fine singled with one out in the fourth and was moved to third on a single to right by Lauran Bliss. Hendrickson picked up her fourth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Fine from third. After pinch hitter Lexi Goranson walked and Aubrey Nitschelm ran for Lauran Bliss, Morales drove in two with a double to center field, once again increasing the Vikings lead to 9-1.

UCR finally got to Johnson for three runs in the top of the fifth before Karyn Wright came in relief and got the final three outs. Johnson gave up three earned runs on two hits while walking four and striking out two. She improved to 2-2 with the win.

The Vikings added two runs in the bottom of the fifth capped by a walk-off single by Hendrickson to put the Vikings up 11-3 and claim the win in five innings.

Game 2 – No. 17 Arizona (14-5) 12, Portland State (5-14) 3

Arizona jumped out to an early lead with one run in the bottom of the first inning off Portland State starter Anna Bertrand.

The Vikings put together some hits in the top of the third scoring three runs and take a 3-1 lead. Crysta Conn led off the inning with a single to right field. Sadie Petersen then reached on an infield single to the shortstop. After the next batter struck out, Becca Bliss singled to right field scoring Conn from second and moving Petersen to third. Bliss moved to second on a throwing error by the Wildcat second baseman. Fine then drove both runners in on a single up the middle.

UA came back with four runs in the bottom of the third capped by a three-run home run. The Wildcats then scored seven unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, four coming off Bertrand and three off Johnson who came on in relief with one out in the inning. Through four complete, Arizona led 12-3.

Petersen led off the top of the fifth with a single to left field, her second hit of the day, but was hit into a double play clearing the bases with two outs. The next batter struck out swinging to end the game.

Bertrand picked up the loss after allowing nine runs, five earned, in 3 1/3 innings. She gave up 10 hits while walking one and striking out one.

The Vikings play one more game at the Wildcat Invitational. They take on Arizona again Sunday morning at 10 a.m. PT.