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Portland State University Athletics

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS
Rachel Menlove
Rachel Menlove was behind the plate for all 21 innings today, helping lead the Viking pitching staff to an impressive performance.
2
Portland State PSU 20-30
3
Winner Weber State WSU 24-19
Portland State PSU
20-30
2
Final
3
Weber State WSU
24-19
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Portland State PSU 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 0
Weber State WSU 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 8 1

W: JENSEN, Addie (8-2) L: Burk, Alyssa (5-8)

Game Recap: Softball | | Jackson Wagner

Vikings Lose Heartbreaker in 10th Inning

Gritty. When asked to describe her team, and how she wants it to play, this is the word that Portland State head coach Meadow McWhorter always comes back to. It means to show courage and resolve, and when it comes to describing the Wednesday that saw Portland State play 21 total innings over two games, gritty is the perfect word.

Hours after winning the longest game in Big Sky Tournament history the Vikings were back on the field at Shea Stadium in Sacramento facing off against the conference's regular season champion. Again, the Vikings went extra innings with their opponent, this time coming up just short, 3-2, after a 10th inning walk-off from the Wildcats.

The loss drops Portland State to the consolation bracket where they will take on No. 3 Montana tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. The Grizzlies were upset in the first round by Northern Colorado in a 1-0 game on Wednesday after winning their final eight games of the regular season.

The Vikings and Wildcats played the third game of the tournament, all of which have been dominated by great pitching and defense. Alyssa Burk and Addie Jensen both went the distance for their respective teams and limited a couple of powerhouse offenses to very few chances.

Burk's line ended at 9.1 innings pitched, eight hits and three runs while striking out seven and throwing 155 total pitches. She is credited for the loss, but it was a fantastic performance by the Viking senior.

"I'm very proud of Alyssa," head coach Meadow McWhorter said. "She just went right at them and trusted her defense. Even if she got down in the count she battled back. She battled every single pitch today and she threw well enough for us to win this game."

It was the second spectacular performance by a Portland State pitcher on the day. In the first game against Sacramento State, Katie Schroeder pitched 11 innings and allowed just six hits and one run.

The two pitching performances were connected by the player behind the plate, Rachel Menlove. On a hot California day that saw temperatures in the 80s, Menlove continued to strap on the gear and go to work inning after inning. She is a big reason the Vikings allowed just four total runs over the 21 innings.

"Our pitchers look at one person consistently throughout the game and it is Rachel and her selfless play, her leadership; she is a big reason why both of our pitchers threw as well as they did," McWhorter said. "She was our rock today. She was the one person that the eyes were on that was so solid pitch by pitch for us through both games."

Unfortunately, Jensen and the Wildcat defense stifled Portland State's offense. The Vikings managed just six hits in the 10 innings of play and didn't have a single player get on base multiple times. Jessica Flanagan scored both runs for the Vikings on an opposite field double in the fourth inning that scored Kaela Morrow and Rachel Menlove.

Portland State never trailed in the first game of the day but found themselves in an early hole against Weber State. Conference Player of the Year Takesha drew a walk to open the game and then the third batter in the Wildcat lineup - Chloe Camarero - left the park for a two-run homer with just one out in the first.

But Burk shook off this early blow and settled in, retiring the next five batters.

"Her not allowing that first inning to rattle her just showed her maturity in the circle as a senior. She just dug her feet in and battled pitch by pitch and I was really proud of her for not letting that effect the rest of the game. She did a really good job of just focusing on the next pitch. The past is the past, you only have control over the moment that you are in and she did a really good job of that."

Portland State looked to be in a great position to get some runs back in the top of the third inning after the first two batters reached base to have runners on second and third with no outs. The Vikings' leading hitter Darian Lindsey then stepped up to the plate, but disaster struck PSU. Lindsey grounded out and Ashley Doyle got caught in a rundown for a double play that left just the runner on third with two outs. Jensen would then escape the jam by getting a foul out and Weber State maintained a 2-0 lead.

The Vikings wouldn't be denied in consecutive innings, however. Tayler Gunesch and Kaela Morrow each recorded singles and then Jessica Flanagan brought two runs home with her double into left center to tie the game up.

There would be just one combined hit by the two teams over the next three innings and for the second time on the day Portland State headed to extra innings.

Drama ensued in the bottom half of the eighth inning, when Weber State appeared to win on a walk-off hit. The Wildcats had a two-out rally, recording back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. The Vikings then attempted to intentionally walk Ashlyn Visser, but the pitch caught part of the plate. Visser knocked it into center field and the celebration began.

But Visser turned back to celebrate with her own teammates before reaching first base and after an appeal by Portland State was called out. This resulted in the third out of the inning and Portland State received new life.

Jensen didn't let the chaos faze her, however, and put the Vikings down in order in the ninth and then allowed just a single in the 10th. In the bottom half of that frame, it was Camarero doing damage again with an RBI walk-off single.

Portland State falls to 2-2 in extra inning games this season with the loss and is now 5-4 all-time at the Big Sky Tournament, which began in 2013.

The Vikings will return to action tomorrow morning against Montana, a team that swept the Vikings in the regular season series played in Missoula. The Grizzlies also swept their first round opponent Northern Colorado, however, and the Bears upset them in the first round of the tournament.

For the Vikings, it is clear what they must do to get a win and keep the season alive tomorrow.

"We just have to stay within ourselves at the plate and hit the ball where it is pitched," McWhorter said. "Trust our hands, trust our abilities and come out swinging tomorrow."



 
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