PORTLAND – The Portland State softball team will take on Idaho State in a three-game series this weekend at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex. The Vikings and Bengals will begin the two-day affair with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday and will close out the weekend on Saturday with a single game slated for 12 p.m.
All three games will be held at Gordon Faber Recreation Complex - field 4 where a maximum of 250 fans will be allowed in the outfield. For those unable to attend, the series will be broadcasted live on Pluto TV.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings fell in two of their three games against Southern Utah last weekend, despite tallying huge numbers at the plate.
The Portland State offense combined for 43 hits against the Thunderbirds, scoring 27 runs and recording a .417 team batting average. After falling in a pair of contests on Friday the Vikings closed out the series with a 10-4 win in game three to improve to 5-21 overall and 2-7 in Conference action.
OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Senior Marissa Bruno leads PSU with a .389 batting average while Rachel Menlove holds a team-high 21 RBI, 51 total bases, six home runs, and a slugging percentage of .671. True freshman Shea Garcia leads the Vikings with a .500 on-base percentage.
HOT BATS
Tallying 43 hits against Southern Utah last weekend, the Vikings' offense was unstoppable in Cedar City. Menlove recorded a team-high six RBI through three games while Tayler Gunesch followed closely behind notching five RBI in the Vikings 10-4 win on Saturday. Four Vikings hit over .500 in the series as they slammed a season-high 18 hits in game two. Garcia led the way with a .667 on-base percentage while Emily Johansen went 7-12 (.583) in the clean-up spot.
The Vikings are hitting an impressive .363 in conference action and .314 overall. Portland State's lineup has nine players hitting above .300 on the season while Bruno (.447), Johansen (.414), and Paetynn Lopez are each sitting above the .400 mark against Big Sky opponents.
BREAKING RECORDS
Bruno slammed her 12th career triple against Northern Colorado earlier this season, breaking the program's all-time (division I era) career triples record. The redshirt senior now sits at the top of the list just one spot above previous record holder, Kiauna Anderson who held the record for 20 seasons.
A stolen base by Bruno last weekend lifted her to a new milestone, as she hit 35 career stolen bases. The speedy left fielder jumped ahead of Whitney Olsen to capture the all-time (division I era) career stolen bases record. Olsen has held her spot at the top of the list since 2005.
BIG SKY LEADERBOARD
- PSU leads the Big Sky in two offensive categories – batting average (.314) and stolen bases (39)
- Bruno (13) and Maddie Thompson (12) rank first and second in stolen bases
- Bruno ranks second in the conference with a .389 batting average while Menlove ranks fifth (.368)
- The Vikings rank third in the conference with a .960 fielding percentage
- The PSU pitching staff has tallied 141 strikeouts through 26 games, ranking second in the Big Sky
IN THE CIRCLE
Olivia Grey earned the victory in the circle for the Vikings as she tossed a complete game in game three against Southern Utah. The redshirt freshman struck out seven batters and allowed just six hits while holding the Thunderbirds to a .206 batting average.
BY THE NUMBERS – SEASON TOTALS
Team Batting Average: .314 (223-711)
Opponent Batting Average: .332 (232-699)
Errors/Fielding Percentage: 27 (.958)
ERA/Strikeouts/Walks: 8.98 ERA, 141 strikeouts, 90 walks
IDAHO STATE
Idaho State enters Friday looking to break a 12-game losing streak. The Bengals are 6-18 overall and 0-6 in conference action as they were swept by Weber State and Southern Utah to open Big Sky play. ISU earned their last victory against New Mexico State in extra innings.
SERIES HISTORY
Portland State leads the series 21-16 but the Bengals came out on top in the last meeting as they swept the Vikings in 2019.
