STANFORD, Calif. – Despite over two hours of combined rain delays, the Portland State softball team defeated the Pacific Tigers, 7-0, behind a masterful one-hit complete-game performance from junior Katie Schroeder as the Vikings opened the DeMarini Invitational in Stanford, Calif. 
 
Schroeder, in just her third start for the Vikings (3-4 overall), posted her second complete-game of the season and picked up the first win of her PSU career with the one-hit gem. She allowed just one hit over the seven innings without allowing a walk. She needed just 75 pitches to complete the feat and did not throw more than 16 pitches in any one inning. 
 
Schroeder retired the first six batters she faced before the rains came down and forced the game into its first of three rain delays. After a 37-minute delay, she retired the next two batters to make it eight straight before allowing the lone hit of the game, an infield single off the Vikings' third baseman's glove, with two outs in the third. She bounced right back and induced a groundout to get out of the inning. 
 
The first batter in the bottom of the fourth for the Tigers (2-5) reached on an error by Schroeder but she made up for it with a beautiful 1-6-3 double-play to erase her mistake. Then the rains came again. After a 19-minute rain delay, Schroeder induced a popup right back to her in the circle for the final out of the inning. 
 
With as well as Schroeder was pitching in the circle, it was not going to take a lot of offensive support to get the win. The offense provided that and then some. 
 
Fresh off her Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honor, junior Darian Lindsey led off the game with a triple down the right field line. Marissa Bruno walked to put runners on the corners before Kaela Morrow reached on a throwing error by the third baseman to load the bases. Rachel Menlove brought in Lindsey from third for the game's first run when she reached on another error by the third baseman. 
 
The Vikings plated a run in the first on the Menlove's RBI and one more in the second on a Bruno single to center with the bases loaded. In the top of the third, Alexxis Ponce led off with a single up the middle. She then moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a ground out. 
 
Alexis Morrison, the Vikings next batter up, dropped own a perfect squeeze bunt back to the pitcher to bring in Ponce from third to make it a 3-0 game. The Vikings added another run in the top of the fourth when Morrow dropped down another squeeze bunt to bring in Lindsey to score to make it 4-0. 
 
With runners on the corners and one out in the top of the fifth, the Vikings pulled off a perfect double-steal to bring in Sala Pedebone from third and move Lindsey to second to make it a 5-0 game. At that point the sky opened up again and brought the third and longest rain delay of the game. 
 
An hour and 15 minutes later, the Vikings were back in the batter's box ready to do some damage. After a groundout, Morrow singled to left center to drive in Lindsey from second. Menlove singled on the infield to put two runners on. Ponce drove a ball through the left side to bring in Morrow to make it a 7-0 game. 
 
The Vikings were poised to do more damage but left a couple runners on base in the inning. In all, they left 12 runners on base for the game. 
 
After sitting for over 90 minutes, it was be expected that Schroeder would be a little cold coming out in the bottom of the fifth, but she picked up right where she left off. She set down the Tigers in order over the final three innings, needing just 27 pitches to do so. 
 
Schroeder became the first Viking since Anna Bertrand in 2013 to throw a one-hitter with her performance Friday afternoon. 
 
The Vikings hit .344 (11-for-32) for the game and hit .455 (5-for-11) with two outs. They had just one two-out RBI through six games last weekend but came up with two against the Tigers. 
 
Riley Casper posted her second three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4. Ponce went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Morrow went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in. Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit. 
 
UPDATED: Due to inclement weather, the schedule for Saturday has modified. The Vikings will face host Stanford at 1:15 p.m. PT before facing Colorado State at 5:45 p.m.