HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Vikings split a pair of pitching duels against Big Sky Conference-leading Weber State on a rainy Friday afternoon at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Ore. Weber State plated two runs in the top of the seventh to take game one, 3-1, before the Vikings evened the series with a 2-1 win in game two.
 
Weber State plated a run in a wild top of the first inning of game one. Portland State starting pitcher Alyssa Burk struck out the game's leadoff batter but the ball got away from catcher Rachel Menlove and the batter was able to get all the way to second base on the wild pitch. 
 
A single up the middle and Weber State had runners on the corners. Burk struck out the next batter for the first out of the inning. After the runner at first stole second, the next batter struck out swinging but again the ball was in the dirt and went to the backstop. The batter reached despite striking out and the runner from third was able to come in to score. 
 
Burk did not let the two wild pitches rattle her. She induced a pop up to short and another to Jessica Flanagan in foul territory down the third base line to get out of the inning. 
 
Menlove led off the top of the second inning with a solo home run to straight-away center field to tie the game at 1-1. It was her sixth home run of the season and her team-best 29th RBI. Menlove went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, a home run, and a sacrifice bunt. She is now hitting a team-best .383 in league play. 
 
Weber State had two runners in scoring position and one out in the top of the third. The batter hit a chopper over Burk in the circle but Darian Lindsey was able to cut it off before it went up the middle. She turned and threw a dart across her body to get the runner at home to maintain the 1-1 tie. Burk got the next batter to line out to Riley Casper at second to end the inning.
 
Burk threw three perfect innings to maintain the 1-1 tie. Portland State had opportunities to score but stranded four runners on base, three in scoring position, over the next three innings as the score remained tied heading to the seventh. 
 
Weber State got two runners into scoring position with two outs in the top of the seventh. The next batter singled down the left field line to plate both runner and give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead. After a walk, Burk struck out the final batter, her ninth of the game to end the inning. 
 
Portland State got a two out hit in the bottom of the inning but that would be it as Weber State took game one. Burk allowed three earned on six hits over seven innings. She walked three and struck out nine in the loss. 
 
Weber State's Kirtlyn Bohling allowed just one earned on six hits. She struck out four and did not walk a batter. She stifled the Vikings' bats as she continually jammed hitters up and in. She moved to 12-8 on the season with the win. 
 
Marissa Bruno went 2-for-3 as she and Menlove combined for five of the team's six hits in the game. 
 
Sophomore RHP Emma Detamore got the ball for the Vikings in game two. She worked around a lead off error to throw a scoreless top of the first. 
 
Bruno, making her first start of the season as the Vikings' leadoff batter, singled through the right side before stealing second in the bottom of the first. She moved to third on a groundout for the second out. She came in to score on a wild pitch to give the Vikings an early 1-0 lead. Menlove recorded her fourth-consecutive hit on the day with a single to deep short. 
 
Alexis Morrison singled up the middle to put two runners on. Kortney Craker made it a 2-0 game with an RBI single up the middle to drive in Menlove from second. 
 
Weber State cut into the lead with a solo home run that skipped off the top of the fence in left center to make it a 2-1 game. From that point on, Detamore allowed just one batter past second base the rest of the game. 
 
After giving up a one out double down the left field line in the top of the seventh, Detamore was lifted for Burk in a rare relief appearance. Burk got a swinging strikeout for the second out of the inning. 
 
The next batter hit a flare into shallow center field that, if it dropped, would have easily scored the runner from second. But Tayler Gunesch came in and made the sliding catch for the final out of the game to secure the win for Portland State.  
 
Detamore picked up her fourth win of the season after allowing just one earned run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. She walked one and struck out one. Burk picked up her first career save after recording the final two outs. Burk has now allowed just 2-of-12 inherited runners to score this season. 
 
Flanagan had a tremendous day both in the field and at the plate for Portland State. She went 1-for-3 with four assists and a pair of put outs at third base in game one. She then went a perfect 3-for-3 with six more assists and a put out in game two. She came into the day with just five hits on the season and raised her batting average 66 points. 
 
Portland State and Weber State will face off Saturday in a rubber-match. It will be Senior Day for the Vikings. The game has been moved up to 10 a.m. PT due to inclement weather moving into the area in the early afternoon.