GREELEY, Colo. – In a game that began Tuesday and resumed in the fourth inning Wednesday, the Portland State softball team fell 7-5 to Northern Colorado in its Big Sky Championship opener at Gloria Rodriguez Field.
The loss means the Vikings (12-38) are done for the day, but they'll return to action Thursday in an elimination game against the loser of Wednesday's fourth game between No. 2 seed Sacramento State and either No. 3 Weber State or No. 6 Montana. With the win, the Bears (17-28) advance to face top-seeded Idaho State later today.
The Vikings' bats were hot Tuesday before weather brought the game to a halt. A first-inning RBI double from
Lorraine Alo got Portland State on the board, and
Jade Henry followed with an RBI of her own to bring home
Natalia Martinez for an early two-run lead. Northern Colorado cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first, but a Bears error in the second allowed the Vikings to tack on another run and extend their lead to 3-1.
The back-and-forth continued when a three-run home run gave the Bears their first lead of the game in the bottom of the second. The lead was short-lived, as
Nichole Orozco brought home Henry in the third to tie it at four.
When play resumed Wednesday in the fourth inning, the Bears picked up where they left off, plating three runs to take a 7-4 lead. The Vikings were held scoreless until the seventh, when back-to-back singles from Alo and Henry set up Orozco for her second RBI of the game, cutting the deficit to two. But the Bears escaped the jam to secure the 7-5 victory.
Despite the loss, the Vikings outhit the Bears 11-8, with Orozco, Alo, Henry and
Alapese Matautia each recording two hits.
Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung started in the circle, going 3.1 innings before
Anna Jardin took over and held the Bears scoreless through the final 2.2, allowing just two hits.
Portland State will return to action Thursday, May 8, in an elimination game set for 12:30 p.m. MT / 1:30 p.m. PT. With ongoing weather delays, visit GoViks.com for updates and schedule changes.
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