Winning for respect

The Portland State softball team will look to end the season on a good note this weekend as they are set to take on the San Diego Toreros in the two final regular-season doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

Last week’s homestand put the Vikings in position to end the season with a winning record after they won three of four games against Santa Clara and pulled themselves out of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference cellar. Portland State sits in fourth place with a 6-9 conference record.

Unlike Portland State, the Toreros took a beating last week from the second-place Sacramento State Hornets, dropping three of four games in the series. They have slipped to fifth in the six-team league, right behind the Vikings, with a 6-10 conference record. If PSU can continue their newfound success and win in San Diego this weekend, they could conclude a challenging season with a sense of momentum heading into the offseason.

The Toreros have a solid hitting staff that doesn’t hit for a lot of power but will be attacking on the bases all day long. Their top two offensive threats, Jennifer Ellenbeck (.221, 16 runs, five home runs and 24 RBIs) and Virginia Fritsch (.403, 20 runs, one home run and 26 RBIs), are having decent seasons. As a whole, the team is hitting a reasonable .268 average and know how to attack the ball when at the plate.

To stifle the offensive attack and keep San Diego off balance, junior right-hander Mandy Hill needs to keep the ball down and continue her hot streak on the mound. In her last four appearances on the mound, Hill has allowed only six runs to cross the plate, while striking out 14 and getting two wins to one loss. Hill currently has a 2.28 ERA, an 18-18 record and 188 strikeouts in 257.1 innings of work.

On the other side, Christina Haake and Ellenbeck lead the San Diego pitchers. Haake has a 2.67 ERA and a 9-9 record this season. Ellenbeck carries a 3.15 ERA and 9-6 record as well as a team-leading 76 strikeouts.

The staff does not strike out a lot of hitters, so the Vikings will hope to take advantage of defensive errors and timely hitting. Although the Vikings do not have a great average, only hitting .242 on the year, they do have some dangerous hitters.

Hill again leads the team at the plate, hitting.265 with 38 RBIs and a conference-leading 11 home runs. After Hill, freshman catcher Brandi Scoggins is hitting an impressive .343 at the dish with one jack and 25 RBIs. Junior infielder Stephanie Bean is also having a stellar year with a .270 batting average, four home runs, 23 runs and 14 stolen bases.

The Viking bats will need to strike early and often if they want to bring this difficult season to a successful conclusion.