SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Portland State softball team dropped the final game of the Gaucho Classic, falling to host Santa Barbara 10-1 in five innings at the Campus Diamond on Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, the Vikings move to 5-15 on the year and leave the tournament with a 2-3 record, splitting two games against the Gauchos. PSU opened the Gaucho Classic with an 11-7 win over UCSB on Friday.
Santa Barbara took control early, forcing five walks in the first inning before hitting two two-run doubles and an RBI single to take a 5-0 lead. The Gauchos added another run in the second, leading off with back-to-back singles before scoring on a groundout play to shortstop.
Alexxis Ponce broke the silence for the Vikings at the plate, hitting a single to right field for the first hit of the day. Down 7-0 in the fourth,
Darian Lindsey put the Vikings on the board with a solo home run to center field, her third homer of the season.
Portland State had an opportunity to cut into the lead in the top of the fifth as
Ashley Doyle led off with a walk, followed by a single from
Jessica Flanagan. After back-to-back fielder's choices, the Vikings had runners on second and third but couldn't drive them home.
Haley Schimmel pitched 3.2 innings of relief for the Vikings, allowing five runs, four earned, off of 10 hits while collecting three strikeouts.
Two straight singles and a two-run double by Santa Barbara ended the game early in the bottom of the fifth as the Gauchos extended their lead to nine runs.
The Vikings will return to the Pacific Northwest next week as they compete at the Oregon Invite, facing off against Loyola Marymount, Seattle, and the Ducks beginning Saturday, Mar. 7.
