Overpowered

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 loss curtailed a four-game winning streak, which the Vikings were riding after their sweep of the Santa Clara Broncos last weekend. The pair of losses drops their overall record to 18-15, but does not affect their perfect 4-0 Pacific Coast Softball Conference record.

The festivities got underway early for the Beavers as Ashley Sanchez, the third batter in the order, nailed a two-run shot over the fence in the opening inning.   

But the Vikings didn’t let the inauspicious start deter them from a little offense of their own, posting a three-run third inning in which Brandi Campos, Jackie Heide and Brandi Scoggins all hit singles.

The good times for Portland State would end right there, however, as the next 10 Viking batters were retired by Oregon State pitcher Paige Hall, who stayed on the mound for seven innings and earned her 11th win of the season.

Viking hurler Nichole Latham, who came into Wednesday’s non-conference double-header with the highest strike-out total (95) in the PCSC, struggled to contain the Beaver sluggers.

Throwing only two strike-outs in four innings, Latham gave up six earned runs and suffered her seventh loss of the season as she watched Beavers hitters Paige Lowe and Audrey Roderfield homer in her final inning on the mound.

Viking reliever Kendra Suhr’s luck wasn’t much better, as she pitched the remaining three innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs and fanning only one batter.

In the seventh inning, Stephanie Ewing blasted one last ball over the fence for the Beavers, bringing the final score up to 10-3.

In the second game, the pitching and batting woes continued for the Vikings. Totaling just four hits, the Vikings were shut-out for only the third time of the season at the hands of Kelly Dyer, who struck out five batters in the win.

Hoping to shake off her team’s pitching struggles from the first game, senior Jessi Even took the mound for the Vikings, but faired no better than her teammates.

In just 2.1 innings of work, Even gave up five hits and five earned runs on three Beaver homeruns.

Reliever Tori Rogers entered the game in the third and was able to stop the bleeding, allowing no more hits or runs for Oregon State while striking out four batters, but it was too little and too late.

After an offensive onslaught against Santa Clara over the weekend series, Portland State’s bats never found their groove, and the game ended after the seventh inning in a 5-0 shutout.

The Vikings will look to bounce back from the pair of losses this weekend as they travel to San Diego to defend their perfect PCSC conference record. Portland State will take on Oregon State in Corvallis next Tuesday in a double-header.