HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Portland State softball team secured its first Big Sky series win of the season on Sunday, defeating Montana 6–2 in the rubber match at Hillsboro Stadium to claim the series, 2–1.
The victory improved the Vikings to 11–33 overall and 4–5 in conference play, while Montana dropped to 8–33 and 1–8 in Big Sky action.
Sunday's win also marked a career milestone for head coach Meadow McWhorter, who earned her 148th win at the helm of the program—passing Tobin Echo-Hawk (147 wins) to become the second-winningest coach in PSU softball history.
After splitting Saturday's doubleheader—highlighted by a no-hitter from Gracie Walters in game two—the Vikings carried their momentum into the finale. Montana struck first, scoring on a passed ball in the top of the first, but PSU answered immediately. Natalia Martinez tied the game with a sacrifice fly that brought home Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung.
Lorraine Alo, who had a standout weekend at the plate, put the Vikings ahead in the second inning with a two-RBI single, scoring Alison Harris and Alapese Matautia for a 3–1 lead. Montana added a run in the third to cut the lead to one, but the Vikings never looked back.
Walters returned to the circle in relief and shut down the Griz offense once again. PSU extended its lead with Ellie Babbitt's two-run homer in the fifth and a sacrifice fly from Nichole Orozco in the sixth that scored Grace Johnson. Walters closed it out with a scoreless seventh inning to secure the series win.
Portland State doubled Montana's hit total in the finale, recording eight hits to the Grizzlies' four. Six different Vikings contributed at the plate, with Matautia and Johnson each posting two hits.
Walters continued her dominant weekend, tossing 4.1 shutout innings of relief on Sunday. Across the series, she posted a 0.62 ERA, giving up only one earned run and holding Montana to a .063 batting average over 11.1 innings of work.
Offensively, three Vikings hit over .400 in the series. Alo led the way with a .444 average (4-for-9) and a team-high three RBIs, while Johnson hit .429 (3-for-7) and Matautia hit .400 (2-for-5).
The Vikings will look to build on the series win next weekend as they head out for their final road trip of the regular season, traveling to Greeley for a three-game series against Northern Colorado, April 18–19. Friday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. PT.
