Author: Doug Cornett

It may have taken them a game to warm up, but once they did the Vikings defeated the St. Mary’s Gaels in three straight contests to secure their foothold as the conference’s top team heading into the last week of the regular season.

It’s no secret that the Vikings defend their own territory ferociously. Boasting a 7-1 home record in PCSC play and fresh off winning three of four against Sacramento State last weekend, the Portland State softball squad is deservedly perched atop the conference standings.

In their last home conference series of the year, the Vikings combined stellar pitching with prolific offense to beat Sacramento State three out of four times, solidifying their hold on the top spot in the PCSC and moving their overall record to 23-20.

Its official 2009 season doesn’t begin until Aug. 22, but that’s not stopping the women’s soccer squad from getting an early jump on their competition. With nine games on their spring schedule, which started on April 4 and spans through May 8, the Vikings are shaking away the offseason rust and working themselves back into game shape.

Apparently the San Diego Toreros did not get the memo that the second-to-last-place team in the PCSC isn’t supposed to beat the top team, because that’s just what they did on Friday, defeating the Vikings, who were 4-0, in two straight games.

There is no official home run derby contest in NCAA softball, but it must have felt otherwise for Oregon State (19-18) on Wednesday as they blasted seven dingers en route to a double-header sweep over the home-team Vikings.

The Vikings continued their domination over Santa Clara this weekend by sweeping the four-game series, extending their win streak over the Broncos to 11 straight games dating back to the 2007 season, and pushing their season-record five games above .500 at 18-13.

As planned, the Vikings took the court last Sunday at Oregon State looking like a much different team than the one that lost 58-24 to the Beavers on Dec. 7.

They outshot, out-rebounded and out-blocked their host in the second round Women’s National Invitational Tournament matchup, but in the end it was not enough to overcome the Beavers, who sank 22 free throws en route to a 59-47 victory.

Though St. Patrick’s day has come and gone, Viking forward Kelsey Kahle is happy to still be seeing green.
 
“It feels like we’ve been playing in a red gym for a while,” Kahle said, referring to the Vikings last three games, all played at the University of Montana. “Its nice to be back in a green gym.”
 
With the home crowd behind her, Kahle poured in 30 points and collected 10 rebounds to lead the Vikings past the cross-town Portland Pilots, advancing to the second round of WNIT.

After a record-breaking regular season that ended with the team’s best conference tally of all-time, the Vikings are now setting their sights on procuring their first ever Big Sky Championship.

When the Vikings and Grizzlies last met on Jan. 29 in the Stott Center, the home team prevailed by 10 points in a slugfest of a matchup. History repeated itself on Saturday, but this time the Vikings were the unfortunate guests, falling 70-60 in Montana and giving up the conference regular season title to the hosts Lady Griz in the process.