L.A. Matthews singled to center in the third inning driving home both Jillian Anderson and Addie Osborne, giving the Scarlet Knights an 8-0 lead, which proved to be the winning runs in the game as Rutgers downed the Portland State Vikings on Wednesday night.
So far, the Scarlet Knights are having an excellent tour of the Pacific Northwest. After a victory over Oregon State on Tuesday night, RU’s bats came alive against the Vikings, putting the game out of reach by the third inning.
The scoring started early, when Bailey Briggs launched a sacrifice fly that brought home Anderson, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead.
But starting pitcher Gracie Walters was able to settle the game down to keep the Vikings in it, and as the Knights batted in the third inning, they still only led by one run.
However, that’s when the complexion of the game changed, as freshman Jayla Fuller singled to left to drive home Matthews, giving the Knights a 2-0 lead.
At that point, the Vikings pulled Walters from the circle and brought in reliever Addie Lemos.
But, the pitching change made no difference to the Knights.
RU then extended their lead with the aid of a passed ball, as Briggs slid home to give the Knights a 3-0 lead.
The roof then collapsed on the Vikings, as the Knights would go on to score five more runs in the inning. By the time Portland State’s third pitcher of the game, Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, surrendered a two-RBI single to Matthews, the contest was effectively over.
Rutgers starting pitcher Kelsey Hoekstra was cruising but ran into trouble in the fourth inning when Portland State began to mount a comeback, closing the deficit to 8-3.
While the Knights did not score again in the game, the Vikings did manage to collect three more runs, but the rally fell short and RU held on for the 8-6 victory.
Hoekstra collected the win for the Knights, improving her record to 5-7 this season. Walters took the loss for Portland State, seeing her record drop to 0-5.
Once again it was the senior leadership for the Knights that led the way, as Anderson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Matthews went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored.
The competition now steps up a notch as the Scarlet Knights will next meet Big Ten foe Washington this weekend. The first game against the Huskies is scheduled for Friday, March 21 in Seattle. The game will be carried on the Big Ten network.
