HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Portland State softball team went back-and-forth with University of the Pacific in Sunday's rubber match, but a late surge by the Tigers handed the Vikings an 11-7 loss in the series finale at Hillsboro Stadium.
The Vikings finished the weekend 1-3, dropping to 5-26 on the season, while Pacific improved to 11-19 overall.
Both teams scored in four of their seven at-bats on Sunday, with the Vikings matching their season-high of 11 hits. The Tigers tallied 12 hits, exceeding their combined total from Saturday's doubleheader.
Hoping to build on their thrilling game-two win on Saturday, the Vikings started strong, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Natalia Martinez drove in Grace Johnson with a fielder's choice RBI. But Pacific quickly responded in the second inning, taking a 2-1 lead off a two-run home run. The Vikings answered back in the bottom of the frame when Alapese Matautia knocked in Gracie Toney with a double to right-center, tying the game at 2-2.
The Tigers regained control with a three-run fourth inning, capitalizing on a hit, two walks, and two Viking errors to go ahead 5-2.
Portland State responded in the bottom of the fourth with three consecutive hits to start the inning. After a force out at home, Matautia brought in Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Neveah Smith then reached on an error, allowing Toney to score and bringing the Vikings within one at 5-4.
After both teams were held scoreless in the fifth, the Tigers broke the game open in the sixth. They strung together five hits and four runs, extending their lead to 9-4. They then added two more runs in the seventh, pushing their advantage to 11-4.
The Vikings refused to go down quietly, loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh. Nakoa-Chung and Ellie Babbitt followed with back-to-back singles, cutting the deficit to 11-7 with no outs. However, Pacific held firm, retiring the next three batters to secure the 11-7 win and clinch the series.
Vikings' starting pitcher Grace Kimball took the loss, despite giving up only two earned runs in 4.1 innings. Alo, Babbitt, Nakoa-Chung, and Matautia each recorded two hits, while three other Vikings contributed one hit apiece in the loss.
This series marked the final non-conference tune-up for Portland State before opening its Big Sky schedule next weekend on the road at Weber State (March 28-29). The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday at 12:00 PM PT in Ogden, Utah.
