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Portland State University Athletics

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Brittany Hendrickson
Scott Larson

Softball Written By Ryan McCall

Vikings Struggle in Day 2 at Gaucho Classic

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

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Portland State softball team struggled on both sides of the plate on its second day at the Gaucho Classic II in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Vikings fell to host UC Santa Barbara 13-2 in six innings before losing to Dartmouth 11-2 in five innings.

Senior third baseman Crysta Conn picked up the Vikings' first three-hit game of the year going 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI in the first game of the day against UCSB. She ended the day going 3-for-6 from the plate to lead the Vikings. Brittany Hendrickson was the only other Viking with multiple hits on the day going 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored.

The Vikings struck first with a run in the top of the first inning of game one against UC Santa Barbara. Conn doubled to right center with two outs and was driven in by Aubrey Nitschelm's double to left center.

The Gauchos came right back with a run in the bottom of the inning off PSU starter Karyn Wright to tie the game at 1-1.

Becca Bliss reached on a fielder's choice in the top of the third and was brought around to score on Conn's second double of the game, again to right center, to put the Vikings up 2-1. Both RBI hits for the Vikings came with two outs, an area in which they've struggled this season.

The lead did not last long as UCSB plated three runs in the bottom of the third. The Gauchos added an unearned run in the top of the fourth to go up 5-2 and run Wright from the game. Melissa Masters came in to pitch and finished out the inning. She started the fifth and faced three batters, two reached, before being pulled for Raya Johnson.

The Gauchos added four runs in the fifth on an RBI single and a three-run home run to go up 9-2. They ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with a walk-off grand slam off Johnson to take the game 13-2. Wright was tabbed with the loss going three innings and allowing four earned runs.

Dartmouth jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the top of the second inning in game two. Portland State got on the board in the bottom of the inning on an RBI bunt single from Kayla Norrie which scored Hendrickson from third. Freshman Jenna Stanford then drove in her first career run with a sacrifice fly to center field to bring the score to 4-2. That is as close as the Vikings would get as only three runners would reached base the rest of the game.

Dartmouth added two more in the third and then five more in the top of the fifth to go up 11-2. The Vikings could not get close the gap in the bottom of the inning and fell in five innings via the run rule.

Hendrickson went 2-for-2 with a run scored in the game. Wright again picked up the loss and fell to 1-11 on the season.

Portland State will try and snap a 10-game losing streak Sunday morning when they take on Monmouth. Game time is slated for 9:00 a.m. PDT.

NOTES: Alex Flores saw the first action of her career getting the start behind the plate against UCSB in game one … PSU has now lost 10 straight for the first time since 2001 … Alicia Fine had her six-game hitting streak snapped in game one before hitting safely in game two.
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