Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Portland State
Wildcats sweep doubleheader from Portland State
5/3/2014 4:42:00 AM | Softball
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Wildcats were unstoppable at the plate and unsinkable in the circle on Friday night, rolling to a doubleheader sweep of the Vikings.
Senior shortstop Brooke Silva, playing in her final collegiate series, was 4-for-8 in the two games, and junior right-hander MaCauley Flint had a win and a save in as the Weber State University softball team took a 7-2 win to open the day and a 4-3 decision in the nightcap in Big Sky Conference action at Erv Lind Stadium.
Weber State improved to 22-24 overall (4-9 Big Sky), reaching a new high-water mark for wins during the new era of Wildcat Softball, which began in 2010. It was also the Wildcats first win over the Vikings since April 17, 1982, with Portland State previously holding a 15-0 advantage in the series during conference action spanning the Pacific Coast Softball Conference (2010-12) and Big Sky Conference (2013) years.
Weber State pounded out 19 hits, 10 in the first game and nine in the second, with 12 Wildcats getting a hit spanning the 14-inning day.
Silva had three hits during the second game, with an RBI, and had a hit and an RBI in the opening contest.
Sophomore second baseman Alyson Kulp had three hits, going 3-for-6 with two doubles, while junior catcher Mylee Davis and sophomore left fielder Rudi Barrios each had two hits. Barrios had a home run during the first game.
Flint pitched seven total innings, getting the start and going the first six innings of the 7-2 win with five strikeouts and two hits allowed. She also earned the save in the second game, pitching the final inning with the Wildcats leading by one run.
Senior right-hander/designated player Jasmine Ioane earned the win in the second game in relief.
Portland State took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game, with Weber State tying things up on an RBI single to center field by sophomore third baseman Brooke Ford that scored junior first baseman Kylee Hogue.
The next four innings were a pitcher's duel, as neither team could bring a running across until the top of the sixth.
With two away, sophomore right fielder Jazmine Thompson singled down the left field line, then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on an error by the Vikings' shortstop with Hogue at bat making to 2-1.
Davis hit a single to right field that moved Hogue to third, and an RBI single through the left side by junior pinch hitter Stephanie Mathias scored Hogue and moved freshman pinch runner Katelyn Robinson – in for Davis – to third, where she stole home just before the final out of the inning was recorded to make it 4-1.
Barrios led off the seventh with a home run to left field, with Kulp hitting a double, followed by a double by Silva that made it 6-1, and junior pinch hitter Janel Cunningham hit an RBI single to left field that scored junior pinch runner Brooke Boggess – in for Silva – to make it 7-1, and senior right-hander Kylee Colvin closed out the Vikings in the seventh.
In the second game, Weber State took a 2-0 lead in the second inning after back-to-back sacrifice flies by Hogue and Davis scored Silva and freshman right fielder Sara Hingsberger from third base.
Portland State pulled one run back in the third to make it 2-1, but the Wildcats would extend their lead in the fifth.
Silva hit an RBI single down the right field line that scored Thompson and made it 3-1, and Hogue singled up the middle to score Boggess – running again for Silva – to make it 4-1.
Portland State scored a pair of unearned runs in the sixth to make it 4-3, but Ioane got a strikeout to end the inning with the bases loaded to preserve the lead.
Flint replaced Ioane in the bottom of the seventh, putting the Vikings down in order and ending the game with a strikeout.
Weber State and Portland State will wrap up their three-game series, and respective seasons, today at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Watch Big Sky.
