OGDEN, Utah – The Portland State softball team took on Weber State in its highly anticipated Big Sky opening doubleheader on Friday. The Vikings dropped game one 6-1 but bounced back in game two with a 16-hit performance, defeating the Wildcats 9-6 to even the series at 1-1 at Wildcat Softball Field.
Portland State's game two victory set the stage for a decisive rubber match on Saturday to determine the winner of the three-game series. Both teams now stand at 1-1 in conference play, with the Vikings improving to 6-27 overall, while the Wildcats move to 12-23.
The Vikings have had limited success when their opponent scores first, with Friday's series opener being no exception. Weber State took an early lead, scoring in their opening at-bat to make it 2-0. Viking starter
Grace Kimball settled in after that, holding the Wildcats scoreless in the second and third innings before they added another run in the bottom of the fourth.
Despite reaching two runners in the opening inning and stranding the bases loaded in the second, the Vikings were kept off the board until the fifth, when
Lorraine Alo launched a solo home run to trim the deficit to 3-1. However, Weber State responded quickly, scoring another run in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-1. The Wildcats then added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-1 lead.
Jade Henry tried to spark a rally for the Vikings in the top of the seventh with a one-out double, but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats held their ground to secure the win.
Portland State finished with just four hits and stranded seven base runners. Despite scoring six runs, Weber State totaled only five hits in the game but capitalized on eight walks and three Viking errors.
In game two, the Vikings' offense erupted, scoring in five of seven innings while setting a new season-high with 16 hits—five more than their previous best of 11. They took their first lead of the day in the top of the first when
Natalia Martinez scored Alo, making it 1-0. However, the Wildcats tied the game with a solo home run in the following frame.
With two runners on in the top of the third, freshman
Nichole Orozco blasted her first career home run to break the tie and give the Vikings a 4-1 lead. The Wildcats responded with two runs in the bottom of the third, narrowing the gap to 4-3. In the fourth,
Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, who was both pitching and batting cleanup for the Vikings, helped her own cause with an RBI double, scoring Martinez to extend the lead to 5-3.
In the fifth, Henry delivered a bases-loaded single, followed by an RBI from Alo to push the Vikings' lead to 7-3. The Wildcats didn't go down quietly, chipping away at the lead and bringing the score to 7-6 in their half of the fifth. However, Orozco and
Ellie Babbitt delivered back-to-back RBI to restore the Vikings' advantage to 9-6.
Anna Jardin, who took over in the circle for Nakoa-Chung in the fifth, shut down the Wildcats in the final two innings, holding them scoreless in both the sixth and seventh to secure the victory for Portland State.
Orozco, Martinez, and
Alison Harris led the charge for the Vikings, each recording three hits, while five other players also contributed to the season-high hit count. In addition to a 2-for-4 game at the plate, Nakoa-Chung earned her second win of the season in the circle, pitching 4.2 innings to help secure the series-tying victory and improve her record to 2-2. Jardin, who pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed just two base runners, secured her second save of the season. In addition to their offense, the Vikings were flawless defensively, recording their first error-free game since February.
The Vikings and Wildcats will return to Wildcat Softball Field tomorrow for the series finale, scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM MT.
