HILLSBORO, Ore. - Powered by dominant pitching, the Portland State softball team extended their win streak to seven on Friday afternoon with 2-1 and 4-0 victories over Western Oregon at Gordon Faber Field 4.
The sweep secured the program's longest win streak since 2013 as the Vikings improved to 10-14 overall, maintaining a perfect 9-0 record at home. The Wolves fell to 13-10 on the season.
Both
Grace Kimball and
Allicitie Frost posted complete-game victories for Portland State, combining for 25 strikeouts in the circle. Kimball allowed just two hits in the opening game, striking out a career-high 12 batters. Frost also achieved a career-high strikeout count, fanning 13 while limiting WOU to just a single hit, an infield single.
Despite the low-scoring affair in game one, the Vikings quickly took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when
Logan Riggenbach knocked an RBI single up the middle, scoring
Emily Johansen.
Lorraine Alo added to that advantage in the bottom of the fourth by bringing home
Maddie Thompson with a fielder's choice RBI. With two outs in the seventh inning, Western Oregon finally managed to score a run off Kimball, courtesy of a solo home run. However, it wasn't enough to shift the momentum as Kimball shut the door, notching her third complete-game win in seven days.
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In the day's second contest, Frost displayed pure dominance from the start, striking out the first nine batters she faced. The Vikings' offense capitalized on that dominance with a two-out rally in the bottom of the third.
Alexa Cepeda, Thompson, and Johansen loaded the bases for Alo, who once again stepped up, knocking in a pair of runs to give PSU the lead. Alo added to her RBI total once more in the fifth inning, driving in Thompson with a single up the middle. Two batters later,
Brooke Subia brought Alo across to make it 4-0. The Wolves were unable to solve Frost in the final innings, as she clinched her second complete-game shutout of the week.
Offensively, PSUÂ managed just three hits in game one and five in game two, but capitalized on 11 walks throughout the day. Six Vikings contributed to the hit total, with Alo and Thompson leading the way at two each. Notably, Thompson's base hit in both games extended her hitting streak to 12 consecutive games.
Drawing confidence from their pitchers, the Vikings displayed their most solid defensive showing of the season, recording 14 errorless innings.
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Following a six-day break from game action, Portland State will resume play next Friday and Saturday (March 22-23) in Stockton, Calif., with a three-game series against The University of the Pacific.
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Gallery: (3-15-2024) Softball vs. Western Oregon
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