PHOENIX, Ariz. – Winning in walk-off fashion for the second time this weekend, the Portland State softball team used a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat DePaul 7-6 in its final game of the Littlewood Classic at the GCU Softball Stadium. The win marked head coach Meadow McWhorter's 100th win at Portland State, as the Vikings improved to 4-6 on the year. DePaul fell to 4-5 overall.
 
"Our wins this weekend were so important - walk-off wins in preseason are valuable," McWhorter said after the win. "The experience in those moments will be key to our success. I'm proud of our team's ability to swing back and get after it today."

Looking to claim another victory before heading back to Portland, the Vikings took an early lead thanks to a two-run home run from Emily Johansen in the opening frame. The top of Portland State's lineup struck again an inning later when Maddie Thompson, Johansen and Logan Riggenbach strung together four RBI to extend the lead to six.
 
It took DePaul until the fourth inning to get going offensively against Viking starter Olivia Grey. The Blue Demons cut the deficit in half, with three runs on three hits, including two home runs in the top of the fourth.
 
DePaul continued to chip away at the lead while holding the Vikings scoreless in the bottom frames. Another long ball in the sixth inning made it 6-5, before they capitalized on a Viking error in the top of the seventh to knot the game at six.
 
The Blue Demons retired the Vikings' first two batters in the bottom of the seventh, needing just one out to force extra innings. Johansen kept the inning alive, knocking a single to left center, bringing Riggenbach to the plate. The Salinas, Calif. native has thrived under pressure in the past, and Sunday was no different. Down 0-2 in the count, Riggenbach slammed a two-out RBI double to seal the deal for the Vikings. 
 
Grey notched her second complete-game win of the season, striking out ten in the process. Johansen led the Portland State offense, going 3-for-4 at the dish, while adding three RBI. The Vikings out-hit DePaul 9-7.
 
PSU will return to action next weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. They'll open play with a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 24 against Northwestern (10 a.m.) and UC San Diego (1 p.m.).