Lights out! Sacramento State softball wins 2 of 3 against Portland State
April 3, 2022
The Sacramento State softball team (20-15, 4-2 Big Sky) took two out of three games against Portland State (19-13, 3-3 Big Sky) at Shea Stadium this weekend.
The Hornets outscored the Vikings 16-13 as the Vikings scored all of their runs in their lone win of the series.
The unhittable Marissa Bertuccio
Junior pitcher Marissa Bertuccio (14-4) was electric all weekend long as she held the Vikings to zero runs and just ten hits in her two complete-game shutout wins. She also struck out 14 Vikings on the weekend.
“She has shown she’s a competitor, a fighter,” Hornets head coach Lori Perez said. “You give her a few runs and you’re probably going to get a W. My confidence has been high on her since we recruited her.”
Bertuccio also notched her sixth shutout and her 13th complete game of the season.
“It felt really good, I’m ready to keep that going, carry it in and keep working,” Bertuccio said. “I couldn’t have done it without my defense. When mistakes happen, I’m like who cares, I got you right here, you got me.”
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A Resilient Bunch
Even though the Hornets’ offense was quiet in their wins, they were able to take two games to win the series. In the first win of the series, the Hornets tallied just one hit but they took advantage of two Vikings’ errors to score two runs.
“We’ve had two very tough opponents,” Perez said. “One of our core values is toughness, and how much they’ve been resilient and tough as they continue to fight.”
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Top Performers
Junior outfielder Carley Morfey had three hits in ten at-bats this past weekend. She smacked her fourth home run of the season and drove in three runs.
“I feel great,” Morfey said. “I think right now we’re extremely confident, we’re bringing a whole lot of energy and I think everyone knows who we are now.”
Freshman shortstop Nikki Barboza went three for seven this past weekend. Barboza collected two runs batted in and displayed her patience with a walk.
Junior infielder Rylee Gresham collected two hits in six tries this past weekend. She tallied an RBI and a double as well.
For the Hornets’ next matchup, they will travel to Nevada on April 6 to compete in a two-game series against Nevada State in a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m.