CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Portland State softball team was determined to put all the pieces together after they watched a 30-hit performance fall short against Southern Utah on Friday. The Vikings did just that in game three this afternoon, earning a 10-4 victory over the Thunderbirds to close out the weekend.
PSU entered the series with the highest batting average in the Big Sky (.296) and this weekend they proved exactly why, slamming 43 hits and knocking in 27 runs over the two-day affair.
Olivia Grey started in the circle for the Vikings, tossing a complete game and recording seven strikeouts. The redshirt freshman held SUU to six hits and allowed four earned runs on the day.
A Rachel Menlove home run started things off, giving the Vikings an early 1-0 lead in the top half of the second. Holding on to their one-run lead the Viking offense caught fire in the third as Emily Johansen and Menlove strung together a pair of RBI to take a 3-0 advantage. Tayler Gunesch capped off the rally by slamming a double to deep center field to put the Vikings up six.
The Thunderbirds got on the board in the fourth but Portland State limited them to a single run to keep themselves in the driver's seat. Gunesch tacked on three more RBI in the fifth, sending her first home run of the year over the left-field wall to extend the lead to eight at 9-1.
Southern Utah threatened in the bottom of the fifth, bringing three across before the Vikings escaped the frame to prevent further damage. The score remained at 9-4 until Viking redshirt senior Marissa Bruno added one more just for good measure, sending an RBI to single down the left-field line.
With the bases loaded in the final inning, Grey shut the door before allowing the Thunderbirds back in, securing the 10-4 victory for Portland State.
PSU totaled 13 hits as Bruno led the way going 4-5 in the leadoff spot. Gunesch notched a team-high five RBI in the contest.
UP NEXT:
After back-to-back road trips, the Vikings will return home next weekend to take on Idaho State in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, April 16.
