BOISE, Idaho – The Portland State softball team notched 27 hits and scored 16 runs en route to 7-4 and 9-4 victories over Big Sky preseason favorite Idaho State, completing the conference-opening sweep of the Bengals at Boise State's Huber Field on Saturday.
It's the first 3-0 start to Big Sky action in the program's history. Additionally, this weekend represents their first conference sweep away from home since 2018 when they swept Northern Colorado in a two-game series. The last time they swept a three-game series on the road was at North Dakota in 2015.
The Vikings improved to 14-16 overall and 3-0 in conference action while claiming a series victory over the Bengals for the fourth consecutive season. Idaho State dropped to 18-20 on the year and 0-3 in Big Sky play.
Portland State's bats were the highlight of day two, boasting an impressive .422 batting average. They knocked 12 hits in the first game and followed up with a season-best 15 hits in the nightcap. The Vikings doubled their season's home run count over the weekend, hitting a total of four home runs across three games.
The score was tied three different times in game one, seeing four lead changes across seven innings. Idaho State gained momentum by taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. However, the Vikings quickly responded in the following frame, scoring two runs thanks to back-to-back RBI from Maddie Thompson and Emily Johansen.
The Vikings trailed by one following a third-inning home run by ISU, but Logan Riggenbach turned the tide in the fifth inning. The senior leveled the score with an RBI single before Lorraine Alo came home on a passed ball, making it 4-3.
Another home run by Idaho State in the fifth inning tied the game once more at 4-4. However, the Vikings came through big in their final at-bat, scoring three runs off an RBI double from Alo and a two-run home run by Paetynn Lopez to clinch the 7-4 win.
Allicitie Frost was credited with her fifth win of the season in the circle, tossing six innings before Grace Kimball closed things out in the final frame. Frost struck out five, allowing seven hits in the win.
The Vikings carried their momentum into game two, putting together their best offensive game of the season. A two-RBI single by Johansen in the top of the second inning set the tone. In the fourth, a successful double-steal brought home Alapese Matautia, extending the Vikings' lead to 3-0. Despite Idaho State scoring two runs in the fourth, their spark was short-lived. Lopez's second home run of the day in the fifth inning further solidified the Vikings' lead, putting them ahead 5-2.
Although the Bengals narrowed the gap to one run again in the fifth inning, the Vikings came back strong with a three-run sixth frame, powered by a two-run home run from Alo and a sacrifice fly by Ellie Babbitt. Alo tacked on her fourth RBI of the evening in the seventh, extending the Vikings' lead to 9-4, which was enough to seal the victory and the sweep.
Kimball notched her eighth win of the season on the rubber, tossing her sixth complete game of the year and second of the weekend in the series finale. Despite allowing 10 hits, she held the Bengals to just a single extra-base hit while striking out four.
Alo, Thompson and Natalia Martinez each tallied a team-high five hits on the day while Alo and Lopez led with four RBI each. Five Vikings hit over .400 in the series as the team compiled 39 hits across three games, finishing the weekend with a .398 batting average.
Portland State will look to stay hot next weekend as they head home to host Weber State for a three-game series at Gordon Faber Field 4 in Hillsboro. The series will open with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, April 5th followed by a single game at noon on Saturday, April 6th.
