After a difficult weekend on the road, Portland State softball returns home for two of the final three series this season. The Vikings have some ground to make up as they reach the midway point of the season, but previous results at home should have them feeling good entering the back half of the Big Sky season.

The Vikings (13-24/2-6 BSC) are 2-1 in conference games played in Hillsboro this season, beating Northern Colorado in a series played in late March. This weekend, they will be back in front of their own fans for a series against Southern Utah. The first pitch of a Friday doubleheader is at 1:00 p.m. and the series finale will begin at 12:00 p.m. Saturday.

"We're excited in the second half of conference to have six of nine at home," head coach Meadow McWhorter said. "Just being able to hold the bat last and being in our familiar territory. It is definitely going to be something we don't take lightly and we are going to out and battle to defend our home turf."

Darian Lindsey had another big weekend in the sweep against Montana, batting .455 with four runs. She had a two home run game in the series finale. Still, the Vikings couldn't overcome the offensive output of Montana.

"We just need to make sure we're firing on all three cylinders; offense, defense and inside the circle," McWhorter said. "When one was on, the other two were off, and that was pretty consistent all weekend. We just weren't in sync. So just making sure that we're competing every pitch and taking care of all three pieces to this game."

This weekend's series could have some postseason implications, although there is a lot of softball yet to be played. Portland State is currently is seventh place in the Big Sky, with Southern Utah just a half a game ahead of them. The top six teams make the conference tournament, giving the winner of this series a good step up on the competition.

Still, the Vikings are just looking at the first game against the Thunderbirds on Friday.

"We just focus on it one game at a time," McWhorter said. "We have nine games left, six are at home, but our focus is just on game one of this weekend."

This weekend should be an offensive shootout. The Vikings and Thunderbirds are both in the top three in the conference in batting average and are third and fourth, respectively, in home runs hit.

It may be up to the pitching staff of each team to determine who will come out of the series on top. Southern Utah ranks last in the Big Sky with a team ERA of 6.83. Portland State, meanwhile, is right in the middle of the conference at 4.46.

On paper, the Vikings may have the edge. But execution could be crucial and big plays can always change the course of a game. Portland State had some of those last weekend, but limiting errors will also be important.

"Game two (against Montana), there were some huge defensive plays. When they had the bases loaded both of our middle (infielders) came up with really big plays in getting that runner out at the plate," McWhorter said. "And putting up 15 hits in game two was huge. So just taking the good and learning from the tough moments and making sure we don't repeat those this weekend."

SCOUTING SOUTHERN UTAH (5-25, 3-6 BSC / .281 / 6.83 ERA)

-The Thunderbirds have been strong offensively this season, batting .281 and hitting 17 home runs as team. Dream Weaver leads the Big Sky with a .414 batting average and Kendall Kapitzke is fourth in the league in home runs (6) and slugging percentage (.624).
-Southern Utah is last in the conference in ERA at 6.83 and have also ranked last in fielding percentage (.946). But they have also allowed the fewest stolen bases of any Big Sky team this year.
-In conference games, Southern Utah has a 4.91 ERA and Portland State is at 4.88.
-Hanna Wynn has the most innings pitched for Southern Utah this season. She has a 2-11 and a team low 5.15 ERA.

COACH McWHORTER ON SOUTHERN UTAH

"They can swing it. They have one less home run than we do and they are definitely a team where you have to match their offensive power, which I believe we will. Our pitchers have got to do a good job of throwing to their individual strengths inside the circle and trusting their stuff."

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SOUTHERN UTAH

The Vikings are 21-15 all-time against the Thunderbirds. Last season, Southern Utah took the series 2-1 in Cedar City. The Vikings are 8-5 all-time in home games.

GAME COVERAGE

The game can be seen on Pluto TV Channel 232 and live stats will be available on ViksLive.com. The doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. on Friday and the first pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

POTW HONORS

Portland State has garnered a quartet of Big Sky Conference honors this season.

Darian Lindsey earned her second career conference POTW honor (2/11/19) after hitting .471 (8-for-17) with seven runs scored and two driven in. She closed out the week hitting safely in five-straight games, including three-straight multi-hit games.

Katie Schroeder picked up her first career Pitcher of the Week honor (2/18/19) after throwing a complete-game one-hitter to earn her first win as a Viking. She faced just 22 batters and threw 75 pitches in the complete game win.

Darian Lindsey picked up her second POTW honor of the season after leading the Vikings to a 3-2 record, while hitting .500 (9-for-18). She scored three runs, drove in six, and hit her first home run of the season. She had an OPS of 1.293 over the five games.  

Alyssa Burk won her first Pitcher of the Week honor (4/1/19) this season and third of her career. She pitched back-to-back complete game shutouts against Northern Colorado, striking out 23 total batters on the weekend. She didn't allow a single run in 14.2 innings, walked zero batters and allowed just five total hits.

GOING STREAKING

The Vikings currently have a number of hitting streaks active. Darian Lindsey and Kaela Morrow are each on six-game hitting streaks currently. Sala Pedebone and Tayler Gunesch have each recorded a hit in the last four games as well. Lindsey, who earlier this season recorded a hit in 17 consecutive games, has also reached base safely in 12 straight contests.

FINDING THE LONG BALL

Last weekend, Lindsey hit two home runs in the same game against Montana. The two homers were both solo shots, one to lead off the game and the other leading off the seventh inning. The home runs brought the team season total to 18 while Lindsey is fifth in the conference with five homers.

The Vikings hit four home runs in three games at the Seattle Invite (4/6-7). Alexis Morrison had two in the same game against Santa Clara, the first multi-home run game by a Viking since 2015. Darian Lindsey and Rachel Menlove each had a home run as well, bringing their season totals to three and four, respectively.

The Vikings blasted five over the five games at the Amy S. Harrison Classic (2/22-24). The five home runs came from five different players. Sala Pedebone became the first Viking with multiple home runs on the year after blasting two at the TSU Tiger Classic. Her first game as a go-ahead three-run home run to give the Vikings a 5-4 win over host Tennessee State (3/1). She added her third home run of the season, a two-run shot, against Ohio State in the Vikings' home opener (3/12).

In the Idaho State series (3/23), Rachel Menlove hit a pair of home runs and Riley Casper added one of her own to bring the Vikings total up to 11 for the season. Last weekend, Darian Lindsey hit her second of the season in a 4-0 win against Northern Colorado (3/29).

LAYING IT DOWN

The sacrifice bunt has been a particular point of emphasis for Head Coach Meadow McWhorter and the Vikings. In 2018 the Vikings laid down 46 sacrifice bunts in 52 games (.885 per game) with Darian Lindsey leading the team with 10. Through 37 games, the Vikings have already dropped down 43 sac bunts (1.16 per game). Alexis Morrison, Rachel Menlove and Riley Casper share the team lead with six each.

WHERE THEY RANK

Darian Lindsey is in the top 10 in the Big Sky in a number of significant categories. She leads the league in on-base percentage (.490), is second in slugging percentage (.658) and third in batting average (.392).

Lindsey is also third in hits (47), second in doubles (13), fifth in RBIs (27) and fifth in home runs (5). She is also tied for second with 79 total bases.

Rachel Menlove, Riley Casper and Alexis Morrison are each tied for fourth with six sacrifice bunts. Kaela Morrow is tied for fifth in runs scored (23) and is also tied for second in sacrifice flies (2). Jessica Flanagan also cracks the top 10 in runs scored (22) and hits (39).