HILLSBORO, Ore. - The Portland State softball team faced a challenging start in Friday's series opener against Northern Colorado, but they were resilient in game two, evening the series with a 1-0 shutout victory at Hillsboro Stadium.
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The split moved the Vikings to 19-21 (8-5 BSC) and the Bears to 23-22 (8-5 BSC).
Saturday's results will determine the Big Sky regular-season champion, with the spotlight on three teams, including Portland State and Northern Colorado. Weber State will secure the title and the top seed if they win two games over Idaho State on Saturday. Otherwise, the championship will be decided in Hillsboro, with the victor of the Vikings and Bears series finale claiming the regular season crown. A regular season title would mark the Vikings' first since joining the conference in 2011.
In Friday's opener, the Bears achieved what few teams have managed to do recently: gaining control over Viking starter
Grace Kimball. After a first-inning RBI single from
Paetynn Lopez, the Bears rattled off four runs in the second and three in the third, extending their lead to 7-1 and prompting
Annie Lemos to replace Kimball in the circle.
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Despite a large deficit, the Vikings refused to back down as
Lorraine Alo,
Logan Riggenbach, and
Natalia Martinez each delivered crucial RBIs in the third, narrowing the gap to 7-4. However, the Bears added to their total in the fifth, further extending their lead. PSU made its final push in the sixth inning, narrowing the score to 9-5 when
Alexa Cepeda knocked an inside-the-park home run but the Bears held off the Vikings' bats in the final frame to secure the win.
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Portland State had a strong showing at the plate against one of the Big Sky's top pitchers, Erin Caviness, tallying 10 hits in the loss. UNC finished with 13 hits in the opener after facing three Viking pitchers over seven innings of action. Lemos contributed 3.2 innings, with 2.2 of those innings being scoreless. Kimball was ultimately credited with the loss, just her second in the past two months as she fell to 12-9. Â
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Game two saw quieter bats for both teams.
Allicitie Frost delivered an exceptional performance for Portland State on the rubber, surrendering just four hits in her third complete-game shutout of the season. The Vikings matched that performance defensively, delivering multiple clutch plays with UNC runners in scoring position.
The game's sole run came from Lopez's bat when she drove inÂ
Maddie Thompson with a first-inning RBI single. That was enough to give the Vikings the lead - the only run they needed to set the stage for tomorrow's pivotal series finale.
Cepeda spearheaded the Vikings' offense on Friday, going 3-for-4 at the plate, while Lopez also stood out, going 3-for-6 (.500) with a team-leading two RBI. The Vikings managed just two hits in the nightcap, marking their lowest tally since recording two against LMU on Feb. 29th.
The teams will face off tomorrow in a single game scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Hillsboro. While the game is set to take place at Gordon Faber Field 4, inclement weather could prompt a relocation to Hillsboro Stadium. Check goviks.com or
Portland State softball's Twitter (X) for updates.
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Following Saturday's series finale, the Vikings will pay tribute to their nine-member senior class with a postgame ceremony.
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