Vikings split with Toreros

For the Portland State softball team, the weekend series against the Toreros was a tale of two days. The Vikings concluded the season splitting the four-game series, winning both games on Saturday, and then falling short in Sunday’s match-ups to Pacific Coast Softball Conference foe San Diego.

Success came early for the Vikings this past weekend. Junior right-hander Mandy Hill tallied her eighth shutout of the season, tossing a five-hitter and punching out six Torero batters in a 1-0 victory in game one. Despite only connecting on seven hits in game one, the Vikings bats came alive in Saturday’s second tilt. Senior centerfielder Kimi Daniel, playing in her last series donning a Viking uniform, smacked a homerun and tied a career high by adding four RBIs to lead Portland State to an abbreviated five-inning 12-1 victory. Hill gained wins in both games.

“Well, I think all of our kids made some really big contributions,” said head coach Amy Hayes. “We really went in there and took care of business on Saturday. I am happy for Kimi Daniel. It was her last weekend as a Viking and she was able to hit one out. That was very exciting to see. It was also nice just to see some runs up on the board.”

The momentum cultivated with Saturday’s success was short lived. A new day brought a much different result for the Vikings. The series’ third match-up was a lengthy, tiring battle, as it required four additional innings to determine a winner. San Diego finally pulled out a win behind freshman shortstop Carey Casciola’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11th. Portland State lacked enough gas in the tank to compete in the fourth and final match-up of the weekend, as the Toreros jumped out to an early lead and remained on top for a 7-0 victory.

“Even though Sunday didn’t go our way, I still feel like it was a positive day for us,” Hayes said. “To go 11 innings against a team on their own field and their senior day is tough. We just didn’t get the timely hit, and they did. In the second game, I think we just came out a bit flat and let down for losing Sunday’s first game.”

Portland State ace Hill appeared in each game of the series, mustering a 2-1 weekend record. With the two wins, the junior right-hander secured her 20th victory of the season. She finished the season just above .500 at 20-19 on the mound. In Sunday’s first game, Hill punched out eight in the season’s longest game, making her the fourth pitcher in school history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. Hill also captured a milestone at the plate, becoming Portland State’s all-time career leader in RBIs at 103.

Although the Vikings fell just short of ending the season with a winning conference mark, Hayes was impressed with her squad’s performance and feels a solid foundation is set for next year.

“This really was a good series to end on. All weekend we, minus some errors in the last game, played outstanding defense. And, we turned three double plays in the first game of the series,” said Hayes. “There are some very positive things to take into next year. One of those is good team chemistry and kids who are excited to move forward.”