This week in college softball, Portland State and Drexel Dragons had very different outcomes in their matchups. Portland State came from behind to beat Sacramento State 4-3 in a tight and determined game. In contrast, Drexel was overpowered in a 12-0 loss to Villanova.
Starting in Hillsboro, Oregon, Portland State hosted Sacramento State for the final game of their Big Sky Conference series at Hillsboro Stadium. The Vikings had a tough season up to this point, coming into the game with an 8-30 record and 1-4 in conference play. They had not won a single game this year after giving up the first run. Sacramento State entered the day at 16-17 overall and 3-2 in the Big Sky. Things looked familiar early on as the Hornets scored right away in the first inning and added another in the third, taking a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third, Portland State got on the board. Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung hit an infield single that allowed Grace Johnson to score from third, making it 2-1. But Sacramento State responded quickly. In the top of the fourth, they hit an RBI double to stretch their lead back to 3-1. Still, Portland State stayed focused.
The real turning point came in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and pressure building, the Vikings started a key rally. Nakoa-Chung came through again, this time with a two-RBI double to left center that scored Johnson and Neveah Smith, tying the game at 3-3. Then, Lorraine Alo hit a go-ahead RBI single to bring in Nakoa-Chung. This gave the Vikings their first lead of the weekend, now ahead 4-3.
After taking the lead, Portland State turned to Anna Jardin to finish the job. She had entered in relief during the fourth inning and was solid for the rest of the game. Over four innings, Jardin gave up only two hits, didn’t allow a run, and struck out two. She retired the Hornets in order in the sixth and seventh innings, locking down the win. The performance earned her second victory of the season, improving her personal record to 2-5.
The Vikings finished with seven hits. Nakoa-Chung and Johnson each had two hits, and Nakoa-Chung led the team with three runs batted in. With the win, Portland State moved to 9-30 overall and 2-4 in Big Sky play. Sacramento State dropped to 16-18 and 3-3 in the conference.
Meanwhile, across the country in Villanova, Pennsylvania, Drexel had a much harder day. The Dragons visited the Villanova Softball Complex for a non-conference game against the Wildcats. Drexel came into the matchup at 2-29 overall, with both wins coming in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. They had not yet won a non-conference game this season and had lost their last ten games.
Villanova struck early, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding another in the second to go up 4-0. By the third, they made it 6-0. The fourth inning saw the Wildcats break the game open with six more runs, leading to the final score of 12-0. Drexel was unable to score or mount any strong response throughout the game.
Madison Taylor started in the circle for Drexel and pitched two innings, recording one strikeout. Violet Marta pitched the next two innings and struck out two. Offensively, Drexel managed just one hit, a single from Kelsie Peters in the third inning.
This loss dropped Drexel to 2-30 on the season. Both victories came in conference—one against Monmouth on March 16 and the other against Hampton on March 21. Drexel remains 0-17 in non-conference play. Mia Garza has been Drexel’s best hitter this season with a .338 average, 25 hits, and three home runs. Kylah Reading follows with a .293 average, 24 hits, and 10 stolen bases. Annabelle Smink leads the team with 14 walks.
On the mound, Drexel has leaned mostly on Taylor and Marta, each appearing in over 20 games and pitching more than 80 innings. Taylor leads with 43 strikeouts across 82.1 innings. Marta, a freshman, has both of the team’s wins and the lowest opponent batting average.
Villanova, with the win, improved to 18-17-1. Earlier in the week, they took part in a tournament at Boston College, where they beat Army and Boston College. Against Army, they worked 11 walks—their most in one game since 1988—and got a career-high 12 strikeouts from Kat Gallant.
After losing 9-0 to Boston College, they came back strong in the rematch with an 11-2 win. That game featured 15 hits for the Wildcats, including four from Brooklyn Ostrowski and four total home runs. Gallant also threw a complete game and earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her performances.
