Twenty-four hours after the Portland State and University of Northern Colorado softball teams started the Big Sky Conference Tournament opening game, the Vikings and Bears finished at Gloria Rodriguez Field.
Two-time defending conference tournament champion UNC completed a 7-5 win over Portland State after about an hour of play late Wednesday morning to advance in the six-team double-elimination tournament its hosting for the first time.
The Vikings and Bears stepped on the first for the game the first time at about 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, following a delayed start because of rain. Two weather delays followed once the game began before the day’s entire four-game schedule was postponed by early afternoon Tuesday.
UNC (17-28) is scheduled to play top-seeded and conference power Idaho State at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The game will be the tournament opener for the Bengals, who didn’t play Tuesday afternoon as scheduled after the rain out.
Portland State (12-38) and Northern Colorado resumed Wednesday with the score tied 4-4 in the top of the fourth inning.
UNC didn’t waste any time breaking out, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good.
Krista Francia, Sabrina Javorsky and Nya Chacon came up with RBIs, and pitcher Anna Wilming was effective in relief for the win.
Wilming, a sophomore transfer from Valparaiso, threw strikes to the Portland State hitters and kept them off guard after coming into the resumed game for Isabelle DiNapoli.
Wilming (7-10) gave up four hits, no earned runs with two strikeouts and a walk. DiNapoli started Tuesday, allowing four runs on seven hits with a strikeout and a walk.
“It was a game-time gut decision,” UNC coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm said of bringing in Wilming on Wednesday morning. “Something in my gut said we needed to make that switch and it worked out.”
Portland State gave DiNapoli all kinds of trouble early in the game Tuesday. The UNC offense came around to take a lead, helped by a 3-run home run from first baseman Amailee Morales. The Vikings tied the game before the second weather stoppage.
Pendleton-Helm said Wilming pounded the zone with her pitches, meaning Wilming was throwing balls into the strike zone to attack Portland State hitters.
“And she was moving the ball,” the coach added. “And she was really putting it where I asked her to put it, which is always what you love.”
Pendleton-Helm said the UNC players handled the delays Tuesday by playing hangman on a whiteboard during the stoppages.
“Sometimes you have to find silly things to not overthink a game and be able to come back,” the coach said.
Pendleton-Helm with the game called yesterday, the team talked about attacking Portland State early Wednesday when the game resumed.
This is finals week at UNC leading to graduation ceremonies Friday and Saturday. Pendleton-Helm said most of the Bears players completed finals earlier in the week, or they were able to finish work last week.
“Thank goodness we have professors who will work with us,” Pendleton-Helm said.
The Vikings put two runners on base with one out in the top of seventh. One of those runners reached on a Wilming throwing error. PSU came up with three hits in the inning, but only managed one run. Wilming worked out of trouble with a ground out and a fly ball out.
Portland State, which lost to UNC in the final last year after also losing its opening game, drops again into the loser’s bracket. The Vikings’ next game is scheduled for Thursday afternoon against the losing team from a later game Wednesday.
“This is not unfamiliar territory for us, but it’s important for us not to look to the end and to look to right now and be present,” PSU coach Meadow McWhorter said. “I’m confident they’re going to stay present and fight.”
McWhorter said the game against UNC over the two days was the first time this season the Vikings were in a “stop and go” situation.
“You have to play when you can play, pause when you need to pause and be grateful for when you get to play,” the coach added. “The thing is, both teams have to play in the same conditions so it’s a level playing field.”
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