The Portland State women’s softball team went to Arizona over the weekend, and once again came away with mixed results. An 11-3 rout of the University of California, Riverside was the only bright spot during the three-day event, which included back-to-back losses to the nationally ranked University of Arizona. In the other two games, the Vikings were shut out 1-0 in the first matchup with UC Riverside and lost 8-3 to Boston University in the second game of the day’s doubleheader.
Softball struggles in Tucson
The Portland State women’s softball team went to Arizona over the weekend, and once again came away with mixed results. An 11-3 rout of the University of California, Riverside was the only bright spot during the three-day event, which included back-to-back losses to the nationally ranked University of Arizona. In the other two games, the Vikings were shut out 1-0 in the first matchup with UC Riverside and lost 8-3 to Boston University in the second game of the day’s doubleheader.
After the opening loss to UC Riverside, Portland State got some help from their offense against Boston. Candice Orozco and Sadie Lopez each homered for the Vikings, and the teams were tied going into the sixth inning. But the Terriers had the final say, getting the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth and tacking on four more in the seventh to come away with the victory.
The following game was a different story, as the Vikings came out firing against UC Riverside in the third game of the weekend. The Highlanders got on the board early with a run in the top of the first but the Vikings responded with a five-run effort in the bottom of the inning and cruised from there.
“The main change was momentum,” sophmore Brittany Hendrickson said. “We really wanted to get revenge on them for the past couple losses…and we were determined to win.”
Senior second baseman Carly McEachran started things off in the first inning with her sixth home run of the season. Sophomore shortstop Alicia Fine followed up two batters later with a double, after which freshman catcher Lauran Bliss worked through nine pitches to get a walk, and Hendrickson sent them all across the plate with a home run of her own. Senior designated player Alexa Morales added a solo shot to cap the inning.
Johnson held the Highlanders scoreless for the next three innings and the Viking offense closed the deal with RBI singles by Bliss and Hendrickson in the fifth. Hendrickson’s five RBIs led the Vikings, but the team got production from the rest of the team as well.
“We don’t rely on one person,” Hendrickson said. “We have a lineup where our girls—one through 17—are capable of getting the job done every day.”
The Vikings are back in action this weekend in the Pepsi Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament, hosted by the University of Hawaii. They’ll take on East Carolina University in the first game of the tournament on Friday at 3 p.m. Live stats can be found at goviks.com.
