HILLSBORO, Ore. — The Portland State softball team rallied late to earn a 4-3 comeback win over Sacramento State on Saturday, taking the series finale at Hillsboro Stadium.
The victory moved the Vikings to 9-30 overall and 2-4 in Big Sky play, while the Hornets fell to 16-18 and 3-3 in conference action.
Sacramento State struck first, scoring in the opening inning—something that had spelled trouble for the Vikings all season, as they entered the game winless when allowing their opponent to score first. But Saturday was different. The Hornets extended their lead to 2-0 in the third before Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung sparked the Viking offense with an infield single to score Grace Johnson, cutting the deficit in half.
After the Hornets tacked on another run with an RBI double in the fourth, the Vikings responded with a clutch two-out rally in the fifth. Nakoa-Chung delivered again, ripping a two-RBI double to left center to score Johnson and Neveah Smith and tie the game. Lorraine Alo followed with a go-ahead RBI single, scoring Nakoa-Chung and giving the Vikings their first lead of the weekend.
Anna Jardin, who entered the game in the fourth, was dominant down the stretch. She retired the Hornets in order in both the sixth and seventh innings to lock down the win.
Jardin earned her second win of the season (2-5), allowing just two hits and striking out two across four scoreless innings. The Vikings tallied seven hits in the victory, led by two apiece from Johnson and Nakoa-Chung.
Portland State is back in action next week with five games on the schedule. The Vikings head to Corvallis on Wednesday, April 9 for a doubleheader against Oregon State beginning at 5:00 p.m., before returning home to host Montana in a three-game Big Sky series on April 12–13.
