PORTLAND — To say that Portland State was excited about its back-to-back come-from-behind victories over the Oregon softball team Tuesday would be an understatement.
“It was awesome,” said Vikings senior Kiauna Anderson of Portland State’s first sweep of the Ducks in 10 years. “This gives us a lot of confidence heading into the second half of the season.”
Hoping for a break from the strains of Pacific-10 Conference play, the Ducks (23-21) embarked on the 110-mile trip back south to Eugene with few explanations.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” head coach Rick Gamez said. “You figure that if you’re up by three runs that that would be plenty, but…”
In the second game of the doubleheader at Erv Lind Stadium, Oregon’s Triawn Custer belted her second home run of the game — a two-run shot that put her in a tie atop the school’s career home-run list — to put the Ducks up 7-4. But, suddenly, the Ducks’ defense stopped flying in the final inning.
After an up-and-down six innings of work, sophomore pitcher Lisa Wangler could not find the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Connie McMurren was called from the bullpen to inherit a bases-loaded, no-outs situation.
A strikeout gave the Ducks their first out and some hope, only to see Portland State’s best hitter, Anderson, step to the plate.
Already having a highlight-filled day with two homers and dinger-robbing catch in left field, Anderson entered the batter’s box looking to secure her team’s seventh victory in nine games.
After working the count full, Anderson got the best of McMurren and trotted to first base with a free pass. Score: 7-5.
McMurren then served up a two-run double to the Vikes’ Summer Conroy to tie the game at 7.
With Anderson now at third, Portland State needed just a soft grounder to second to walk off with the win.
“We’re not making the routine plays,” Gamez said. “Give Portland State credit, though. They are a good, scrappy team and they never gave up.”
If Game 2 was exciting for the Vikings, then Game 1 was even better. Taking advantage of its home-field status, the Vikes again did it in their last at-bat. And surprise surprise, Anderson was the hero. This time, however, she made it a little simpler, belting a walk-off, two-run homer — just the second of her career — to win the game 4-2. Andrea Vidlund (9-4) tallied the loss for the Ducks.
“We just kept battling and stayed focused,” said Anderson, who was hitting a team-high .318 before Tuesday. “This is the best team I’ve ever played for.”
In all, the two teams appeared to be playing at Denver’s Coors Field, hitting a combined seven homers in the two games. The Ducks’ home-run derby day included a pair of shots from Vidlund, her third and fourth of the season. On the day, the sophomore was 4-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored.
The Ducks have now lost eight of their last 10 games and travel to the Bay Area to take on No. 3 California and No. 5 Stanford this weekend.
“It’s no secret that we’re not playing well right now,” Gamez said. “We’re just not getting it done.”