Softball
The Viks played their last away series against the Idaho State Bengals. They couldn’t get the sweep, but won the series last weekend.
The first game was all Viks. Paetynn Lopez grounded out to second getting an RBI, Logan Riggenbach advanced to second, Olivia Dean came to third and Alexa Cepeda scored. Natalia Martinez singled to right field and Dean scored. Cepeda and Dean, in the following inning, scored after Riggenbach singled to right field as well. Mariah Rodriguez singled to left field and everyone advanced, while Riggenbach scored. 4-0 Vikings in the fourth.
Shea Garcia got an RBI and brought Lopez home. Kiara McCrea singled up the middle and Martinez scored. The score reached 8-0 in just the fourth. If that wasn’t a secure win, Emily Johansen, Lopez and Rodriguez all homered in the top of the next inning, increasing the lead to 11-0. Idaho State homered in the bottom of the fifth, but the game ended early with a 11-1 win for the Viks.
The Viks fell in the second game of the double header, despite a three-run lead in the first inning. Riggenbach went 3-4 at bat against the Bengals with one run. Johansen went 2-4 with two runs and four RBIs. The Viks couldn’t get the ball rolling after scoring five runs in the first two innings, leading them to fall 8-5—though they looked to take the series the next day.
16 hits came from the Viks in the last game of the series as they went on to win in a 19-15 thriller. Riggenbach doubled to right center and Johansen and Dean scored. Lopez got an RBI and Riggenbach scored. Rodriguez reached on an error by the shortstop and Martinez advanced to second while Lopez scored. Cepeda singled and Martinez scored. A sacrifice pop-up came from Dean, and Rodriguez scored unearned. Cepeda and Garcia scored unearned from a single by Riggenbach and the Viks were up 8-0 in just the first inning.
Idaho State answered and scored 10 runs at the bottom of the first and second. The lead was 10-8 Bengals, in what looked like the end result of a game. Bases loaded in the top of the third with Dean, Cepeda and McCrea for the Viks. Johansen was walked and McCrea scored by walking home. Fielders choice by Riggenbach and Cepeda scored. Martinez walked and Johansen came home, tying the game at 10.
The Viks did not end the inning yet, as Lopez reached on a fielder’s choice—and Dean scored on yet another error by Idaho State. Martinez walked again and Johansen came home, bringing the lead to 12-10. A single by Rodriguez brought home Riggenbach. Shea also singled to right field, and Lopez scored. McCrea singled to left center and Martinez scored, the lead now 16-10 in the bottom of the third.
The Bengals crept up a little in runs, gaining four in the fourth inning, decreasing the lead by two for the Viks. Powerhouse Logan Riggenbach singled to left field, having Johansen advance to second, and Cepeda scoring in the fifth. Johansen homered and got two RBI, bringing home herself and Cepeda in the seventh.
The Viks won 19-15, closing out their last away game and looking forward to Weber State next week in their last home series of the regular season. Though Weber State are now Big Sky regular season champions and are officially seeded first in the tournament, the Viks still want to leave a message: they are reigning Big Sky tournament champions.
Women’s Tennis
The Viks made it to Phoenix and qualified for the Big Sky tournament last week, starting off the first round playing fourth seed Sacramento State. Emily Rees and Majo Hernandez fell in their doubles match 6-1. Makoto Ohara and Maddie Egan fell in a close one, losing 5-7. The match with Capu Sanoner and Nika Beukers went unfinished, leaving it at 6-6. Capu fell 1-6, 2-6 in singles, and Makoto fell 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 in a close one. Majo fell 6-4, 3-6, 3-6.
Three of the other matches went unfinished. Beukers went 3-6, 6-1, 3-5 before going unfinished. Rees was up 6-2, 7-6 before going unfinished. Jacinta Milenkoski 6-5, 5-7, 0-2 before ending the match unfinished. Sacramento State went on to win 4-0 and advanced. Northern Arizona University won the tournament for the third time in a row with a win over Weber State, who could have won their first championship in over 20 years. Idaho won over Montana State to claim the men’s Big Sky title.
Track: OSU High Performance Meet
The Viks traveled to Corvallis for the Oregon State High Performance meet on April 29 and 30, racing against their personal records and local schools in the Pacific Northwest.
Women’s Results:
800m:
- Sophie Jones, 2:23.75
1,500m (Open):
- Tatum Miller, 4:39.60
- Olivia Brooks, 4:51.07
- Natalia Martino, 4:53.63
- Sophie Jones, 4:54.70
- Phoebe Brown, 4:56.52
- Dyllan Newville, 5:26.66
5,000m (Open):
- Sammy Burke, 17:34.29
- Jalen Marcil, 17:53.98
- Emma Owen, 18:34.51
- Campbell Faust, 19:24.51
- Madison Tafoya, 20:49.10
Sophia Hackett, DNF
5,000m (Invitational):
- Maya Irving, 17:03.87
3,000m Steeplechase:
- Abi Swain, 11:19.72
Men’s Results:
400m:
- Harley Montgomery, 51.36
- Zach Salcido, 53.83
800m:
- Chase Lovercheck, 1:50.56
- Luke Ramirez, 1:54.72; 26
Sam Lingwall, 1:57.06
- Rashid Muse, 1:58.74
- Cam McChesney, 2:00.49
- Zach Grams, 2:01.45
- James Bottrill, 2:01.56
- Zach Salcido, 2:02.77
1,500m (Open):
- Cam McChesney, 3:56.58
- Keynan Abdi, 3:57.61
- Zach Grams, 4:03.77
- Abdi Ibrahim, 4:04.47
- Brandon Hippe, 4:05.53
1,500m:
- Sam Lingwall, 3:52.69.
1,500m (Invitational):
- Luke Ramirez, 3:52.86.
5,000m (Open):
- Jake Schulte, 15:27.34
- Andy Solano, 15:34.24
- Erik Solano, 15:46.86
5,000m:
- Dom Morganti, 14:54.94
5,000m (Invitational):
- Evan Peters, 14:35.14
110H:
- Jordan Gloden, 14.95
400H:
- Jordan Gloden, 55.87
- Harley Montgomery, 58.52.
NFL DRAFT: Pro Viking Seth Vernon
Portland State Punter Seth Vernon signed with the Atlanta Falcons during the highly anticipated NFL Draft last week. He will come in on the team as an undrafted free agent. Vernon is currently a 6’5”, 230-pound senior from Santa Rosa, California. His longest punt was 66 yards in 2019 against Eastern Washington. His longest in 2021 was 65 in a 20-13 win over Southern Utah.
