HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Vikings split their twin bill with the Utah Valley Wolverines Wednesday afternoon at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Ore.
 
After falling in the first game of the day, 21-6, the Vikings took the second game of the day 6-5. Portland State jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first in game two. SheaLee Lindsey led off the game for the Vikings with a four-pitch walk.
 
Shae Nelson then reached on an error by the shortstop moving Lindsey to third base. The center fielder bobbled the ball for the second error on the play, allowing Lindsey to come home and score and Nelson to move to second base. Candice Orozco then singled up the middle, scoring Nelson from second. Orozco advanced to second on the failed throw home to get Nelson.
 
Two batters later, Melissa Masters doubled to left center to bring in Orozco from second to make it a 3-0 game. Masters moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch to make it a 4-0 game.
 
Masters tripled to right field with one out in the bottom of the third inning and then came in to score on a Kortney Craker sacrifice fly to center field to make it a 5-0 game.
 
The extra run in the third inning would come in handy as the Wolverines plated four runs in the top of the fourth inning with a grand slam off game two starting pitcher Karyn Wright. Wright was able to get out of the inning with no more damage done but the Vikings five-run lead was quickly cut down to just one.
 
Portland State got back a run in the bottom of the fourth when Kaela Morrow, making her first career start behind the plate for the Vikings, walked to lead off the inning. She later came around to score on a single by Orozco. Morrow's run made it a 6-4 ball game.
 
Utah Valley had runners in scoring position in each of the final two innings, including the bases loaded with one out in the seventh, but was unable to score in either inning. Wright was able to induce a pair of fielder's choice outs to end the ball game and secure the win in her final career home game as a Viking.
 
Wright picked up the win in her 16th career complete game to move to 5-8 on the season. She allowed four earned runs on nine hits.
 
Masters came one at bat short of going for the cycle after hitting a double in the first, a triple in the third, and a single in the fifth. She went 3-for-3 in game two with two runs scored and an RBI. Orozco went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs to tie Brianna Celaya for the team lead with 25.
 
Portland State improved to 14-30 overall on the season with the split, while Utah Valley dropped to 8-41.
 
Portland State hits the road this weekend for a three-game Big Sky Conference series at Sacramento State to wrap up the regular season. The Vikings need just one win to secure their spot in next week's Big Sky Softball Tournament. It would be their first appearance in the tournament since winning it all in 2013.