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EUGENE – The Vikings held tight but fell to No. 1 Oregon 4-2 Tuesday afternoon in Eugene, OR. The Vikings took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth but three unanswered Oregon runs were the difference as the upset bid fell short.
Portland State freshman pitcher
Meagan Hendrix pitched a great ballgame for the Vikings holding Oregon hitless over the first three innings. Hendrix went 5 2/3 innings and allowed just four runs, three earned, on five Oregon hits.
Hendrix held the Ducks hitless for the first three innings before surrendering a single up the middle. The runner came around to score two batters late to give Oregon a 1-0 lead through four innings.
The Oregon (41-5 overall) lead did not last as Portland State (7-32) plated two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead.
Candice Orozco was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before being lifted for pinch runner
Mackenzie Bourbanis.
Kayla Norrie dropped down the sacrifice bunt but reached after the ball was misplayed by the Oregon infield.
After Norrie was lifted for pinch runner Celena "Nugget" Carrisosa,
Shae Nelson singled through the right side to load the bases with no outs.
Alicia Fine got the Vikings on the board with a single through the left side to score Bourbanis from third. Fine's RBI single drove Jasmine Smithson-Willett from the game. Oregon brought in Cheridan Hawkins.
Becca Bliss, who already had two hits in the game, hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Carrisosa from third to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead. Bliss went 2-for-3 on the day with an RBI and three outfield putouts.
Oregon tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a defensive miscue by the Vikings' defense. Nikki Udria stole third but the throw got away from
Crysta Conn at third and which allowed Udria to tie the game at 2-2.
The difference in the game came in the bottom of the sixth as the Oregon offense hit a pair of solo home runs to go up by the final score of 4-2. Hendrix fell to 3-6 on the season with the loss while Hawkins improved to 25-3 with the win.
The Vikings have a week off before they travel to Corvallis, OR to take on the Oregon State Beavers in a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday, April 29. They will then return home for their final three games of the season against Weber State May 2-3.
