Box Score
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POCATELLO, Idaho – Senior pitcher Anna Bertrand became the all-time winningest pitcher in Portland State softball history Saturday with the Vikings' 7-5 win over Idaho State in eight innings. Bertrand threw a complete game to pick up her 68th career win and surpass Mandy Hill on the PSU all-time career wins list.

Game two of the three-game series was suspended due to darkness with the game tied 12-12 after eight complete innings. Game two will continue Sunday at 11 a.m. PDT with the series finale immediately following.

Bertrand threw a complete game in game one, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits in eight innings. She walked just one and struck out five. She improved her season record to 13-12 with the win.

With the score tied at 5-5 and one out in the top of the eighth, sophomore Alicia Fine reached on a throwing error by the Bengals third baseman before being lifted for pinch runner Brianna Celaya. Alexa Morales then singled to left field and was also lifted for a pinch runner, Lexi Goranson.

Sophomore Aubrey Nitschelm loaded the bases with one out for the Vikings when she reached on an error by the Bengals third baseman. Senior Sadie Lopez capped a perfect game from the plate, singling in Celaya for the go-ahead run and Goranson for an insurance run to put the Vikings up 7-5.

Lopez finished the game going a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with a run scored and two RBIs, including the game-winner. She was also hit by a pitch in the game. She leads the Vikings with a .476 batting average and 12 RBIs during Big Sky Conference play from the nine-hole.

The two-run lead would be all that Bertrand needed as she took care of business in the bottom of the eight to secure the three-game series opening win for the Vikings.

Portland State (16-23 overall, 9-1 Big Sky Conference) got on the board in the top of the first when freshman catcher Lauran Bliss blasted her fourth home run of the season that gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead.

Bertrand set down Idaho State in order in the bottom of the first with a trio of strike outs. Idaho State (20-10, 7-3) came into the game hitting .404 in conference play and showed it could get runners on base.

The Bengals loaded the bases with no outs with two singles and a hit by pitch in the bottom of the second putting early pressure on Bertrand. Bertrand induced the next batter to hit it to Fine at shortstop who wisely went home with the ball to force the lead runner at the plate for the first out. Bertrand then got the next batter to pop out to second before a grounder to first base ended the inning, stranding three runners on.

After the Vikings stranded a pair of their own runners in the top of the third, the Bengals finally got on the board with three runs, one earned, in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.

Portland State cut the lead to 3-2 when Nitschelm doubled in Fine from second after she reached on a walk.

Idaho State built up a three-run lead, its largest of the day, with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 5-2. The Bengals were poised to add another, but a runner was called out at third for leaving early.

Lopez picked up her second hit of the day when she doubled to center to lead off the top of the fifth. She was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and after Lauran Bliss walked, Brittany Hendrickson hit her seventh home run of the season, tying the game at 5-5. Hendrickson finished the game going 1-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs.

Each team had runners in scoring position over the next two innings but neither team could plate a run, sending the game into extra innings. Portland State is now 1-2 in extra-inning games this season.

The Vikings added two runs in the top of the eight before Bertrand shut down the Bengals in the bottom of the inning to secure the win. 

Portland State got out to a 5-0 lead in game two of the series before Idaho State scored three runs in the bottom of the third. Idaho State tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fourth.

The Vikings scored three in the fifth and two more in the sixth but again could not hold the lead as the Bengals scored five in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 12-12.

The teams played two more innings on a cold and windy night in Pocatello before the game was suspended until Sunday due to darkness. The game will conclude at 11 a.m. with the series finale immediately following.