HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Portland State softball team was in need of a breakthrough weekend, and they delivered just that by completing their first three-game series sweep of the year with a 5-4 victory over Seattle in Friday's series finale at Gordon Faber Field 4.  

Riding the momentum from consecutive victories on Thursday night, the Vikings continued their winning streak on Friday, improving to 6-14 overall. The Redhawks fell to 8-15 following the sweep.

In an attempt to disrupt the Vikings' momentum, Seattle scored first in game three. PSU starter Annie Lemos held the Redhawks scoreless until the third, when they seized a 1-0 lead. However, the Vikings responded in the bottom half of the inning, claiming a 2-1 advantage thanks to consecutive RBIs from Paetynn Lopez and Grace Johnson. Seattle leveled the score at two in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a Viking error, prompting Grace Kimball to replace Lemos in the circle. 

Alexa Cepeda and Maddie Thompson reached base to open the bottom of the fourth for Portland State, setting the table for Emily Johansen's three-run home run, which gave the Vikings a 5-2 lead.

The Redhawks managed to score two runs in the sixth but their comeback attempt fell short as Kimball and the Viking defense shut them down in the final frame, securing the series sweep with a 5-4 win. 

Out of the nine total runs scored on Friday, only two were earned. Both were surrendered by Seattle's staff, as neither Kimball nor Lemos allowed an earned run. The teams combined for six errors, tallying three each.

Kimball notched her second victory of the series, allowing just two hits in 3.2 innings of work. She concluded the week with a perfect 0.00 ERA across 10.2 innings.

Offensively, the Vikings out-hit the Redhawks 9-7. Natalia Martinez, Johnson, and Thompson each contributed two hits in the victory.

The Vikings will continue their home stand on Tuesday, March 12 with a doubleheader against Oregon State at Gordon Faber Field 4 beginning at 3 p.m.