The Portland State women’s softball team dropped all four games last weekend to third-ranked Arizona State University. The Vikings put up a solid fight, but were unable to break through against the undefeated Sun Devil squad. Much like the previous weekend, however, the Vikings offered glimpses of the team’s potential, including impressive power hitting and improved defense.
“This weekend really showed our resilience, that we’re not a team that will give up easily,” head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. “I’m really proud of their performance.”
The Vikings, 4-11 so far this season, twice held the lead in the first game, ultimately pushing Arizona State to 12 innings before falling 6-5. Despite taking the loss, senior Anna Bertrand stayed in the game for an astounding 222 pitches and stranded 13 runners along the way. On offense, the Viking sluggers were at it again, as Portland State got home runs from Carly McEachran, Alexa Morales and Brittany Hendrickson. After the two teams traded runs in the ninth, Arizona State managed to load the bases with no outs in the 12th, and a single was all the Sun Devils needed to come away with the victory and keep their perfect record intact. Arizona State is now 16-0 overall.
The next two games were not as kind to the Vikings. They were routed 19-2 the following afternoon when the Sun Devils took an early lead with a six-run first inning and the Vikings were unable to recover. In the second game of the day’s doubleheader, Arizona State continued their hot streak at the plate, winning 9-0 as freshman pitcher Karyn Wright struggled to keep the Sun Devils off the bases. The Viking offense couldn’t muster any support against a stingy Arizona State defense, and Portland State was shut out for the third time this year.
“It was an up-and-down weekend,” Echo-Hawk said. “One day, we would show our talents and our ability to perform and really shine, and then the next, we’d have struggles.”
The Vikings did not let the losses faze them, though. In the final game of the series, it appeared that they might close out the weekend on a high note. Neither team got on the board for the first four innings until Arizona State drew first blood with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 1-0 lead. Portland State responded by scoring three runs in the sixth off back-to-back home runs from Becca Bliss and Alicia Fine, followed by a bases-loaded walk from Lauran Bliss. The Vikings were just one more inning away from the upset, but the Sun Devils came through with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to fend off a determined Portland State squad.
Although the trip may not have been a success for Portland State, the team left Tucson with plenty of motivation.
“Despite our Saturday outing this past weekend, our team showed that we really can compete with any team out there,” McEachran said.
The Vikings are back in action this weekend for a five-game stretch at the Wildcat Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona. They’ll get started on Friday against the University of California, Riverside at 11 a.m. Live scores and stats can be found at
goviks.com.