HILLSBORO, Ore. – Mariah Gonzalez came up with a big two-run home run to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth before Marissa Bruno drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth as the Vikings come back to beat first-place Weber State, 4-3 in eight innings on Senior Day. 
 
The win gives Portland State the series win over Weber State, 2-1, for the first time since 2013. The Vikings have won four Big Sky Conference series this year, including each of the last three, their most since taking five series in 2013. Portland State went on to win the inaugural Big Sky Softball Championship that year. 
 
Gonzalez, a senior from Alto Loma, Calif., earned the start in left field in her final home game as a Vikings and took full advantage of the opportunity. She picked up her first hit of the year, and first career extra-base hit, with a double down the right field line to lead off the bottom of the third with the Vikings trailing 1-0. Gonzalez moved to third on a sacrifice bunt but was stranded in scoring position. 
 
That was the story early on for the Vikings. They got the leadoff batter on base in each of the first four innings but were unable to plate a run. Portland State stranded seven runners, five in scoring position, over the first five innings of the ballgame.  
 
Weber State, after getting a run off Portland State starting pitcher Alyssa Burk on a passed ball in the top of the first, added two more unearned runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. 
 
The score remained 3-0 as the Vikings headed to the bottom of the sixth. After a flyout to right recorded the first out of the inning, Jessica Flanagan turned on an inside pitch and drove the ball over the right field fence for her first career home run as a Viking and her first RBI of the season. 
 
After failing to plate a run through the first five innings, Flanagan's home run gave the Vikings some life at the plate. Tayler Gunesch came up next and singled up the middle off Weber State starter Kirtlyn Bohling.
 
The next batter popped out to third base, which brought Gonzalez back to the plate with a runner at first. After getting her first extra base hit in the third inning, Gonzalez one-upped herself in the sixth. She turned on an inside pitch and drove the ball deep to left-center field for her first career home run to tie the game at 3-3. Gonzalez finished the day. 2-for-2 with a run scored and two runs driven in. 
 
After the offense tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, Burk went back to work pitched a perfect top of the seventh. After the Vikings were unable to score the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, the game moved to extra innings. 
 
Burk set the Wildcats down in order again in the eighth to work her third-straight perfect inning. In fact, the junior from Fontana, Calif. set down the final 12 batters she saw in the game.
 
Gunesch reached with one out in the bottom of the eighth after the first baseman dropped the would-be groundout. She moved to second on a Riley Casper single through the right side. Gonzalez moved Gunesch to third on a fielder's choice. Casper was tagged out going to second but the Vikings had runners on the corners and two outs with the top of the order coming up. 
 
Bruno, getting her second-consecutive start at the top of the lineup, came through in the clutch. She took a 1-0 pitch and drove it into left field to bring in Gunesch and give the Vikings their third extra-inning walk-off win of the season. 
 
Portland State outhit Weber State 12-to-6 in the game as four different players each recorded multiple hits. For the series, Portland State hit .318 against Weber State. 
 
Burk earned her 11th win of the season, eight in Big Sky play in Saturday's rubber-match. She threw her second complete game of the weekend, allowed three runs, none earned, on six hits. She struck out six and did not allow a walk. She was tremendously efficient on the day, throwing strikes on 74-percent of her pitches. 
 
For the weekend, Burk and fellow starting pitcher Emma Detamore combined for a 1.27 ERA and allowed just four earned runs on 18 combined hits. They held the Wildcats to a team average of .212 over the three games. 
 
Portland State hits the road next week for its final three-games of the regular season at Southern Utah. The Vikings open the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 5 before concluding the regular season on Sunday, May 6. 
 
Portland State is well within striking distance of securing a bid in this year's Big Sky Conference Softball Championship, which will be hosted by Weber State, May 10-12, in Ogden, Utah. The Vikings are currently fourth in the standings with the top six earning bids.