The Portland State women’s softball team is looking for sunny skies this weekend in order to host the Idaho State Bengals Friday and Saturday. Due to weather cancellations, the Vikings have played just one double-header out of five scheduled home games. The Vikings currently sit at 14-13 overall and 3-1 in conference. This weekend is important for conference play with double-headers scheduled for both days.
The Vikings opened up their conference play last weekend against Utah Valley University. They went 3-1 for the weekend after suffering a 1-0 loss the first day. Head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said the loss showed some of the Vikings’ sore spots on offense, but that the team has been improving its at-bat performances overall.
“We struggled a little bit offensively, losing on Saturday by one run against a pitcher we didn’t think was that skilled, but on a positive, you can see each at-bat that people are gaining confidence and getting more consistent,” Echo-Hawk said. “They are working hard on the mental as opposed to physical and starting to have better at-bats; maybe we are not seeing the results yet, but it’s better.”
With some of the usual hard-hitters struggling to get into their grooves, the Vikings had some of their younger players step up. Freshman reserve pitcher Raya Johnson gained her first win on the mound against Utah Valley, and on the offensive front, sophomore third baseman Crysta Conn, junior right fielder Danai Martin and sophomore left fielder Becca Bliss made crucial runs in the opening win in Utah.
“We have a team this year that has so much talent across the board,” junior first baseman Karmen Holladay said. “We always talk about how we have three different sets of people that can be on the field at one time—we are so lucky to have so much talent.”
Echo-Hawk said the depth, combined with seeing big performances from the usual starters like Holladay, Anna Bertrand at pitcher and lead-off hitter Jenna Krogh is important against an up-and-coming team like Idaho State.
The Bengals sit at just 4-24 overall and 1-4 in conference, but despite the statistics, Echo-Hawk said they are not a team to dismiss.
“Idaho State has improved a ton over the year. If you look at their record from last year you would think we could walk in and win, but that’s not the case anymore,” Echo-Hawk said.
The Bengals opened their conference play against Seattle, losing the first double-header and splitting the second. They are led by junior pitcher Amanda Fitzsimmons and key hitters Vicky Galasso, Becky Simonsen and Hailey Breakwell on offense.
“We definitely want to sweep ISU, so to win all four games we make it a point to really do the small things, to focus the basics and the little things,” Holladay said.
Echo-Hawk said the focus for the Bengal game remains improving offense. On defense, Bertrand secured her 41st career victory last weekend, moving her into a tie for ninth place in the Vikings record books. With the pitching covered, the Vikings need to turn hits into runs to achieve Holladay’s goal of sweeping the Bengals.
“I think our key for offense this weekend will be to make adjustments quicker,” Holladay said. “Since we play four games in a row, it’s important to adjust to different pitchers and adjust from game to game.”
With well over half the Vikings schedule on the road, Holladay and Echo-Hawk said the team is excited to be on their home field in front of Vikings fans.
“I think it is just all about how we come out on that first day,” Holladay said. “Our conference this year has really improved. We don’t really know what to expect from any team so we have to go against each team the same and bring the energy and focus on coming together as a team every game.”
The games will be held on April 6 and 7. Both games will begin at noon at the Vikings home field, Erv Lind Stadium. Live audio coverage can also be found at goviks.com.