STOCKTON, Calif.- With their doubleheader moved up due to the anticipation of rain, the Tigers decided to unleash a downpour of their own, combining for 21 runs and 23 hits in the 10-5 and 11-8 wins over Portland State.
 
"Really proud of how we bounced back today after losing a tough game yesterday," head coach Brian Kolze shared after the wins. "Really proud with, obviously, how we swung the bats and Avery [Croxall] did a great job closing out both games. We really rallied and put a lot of hard hits together and scored a lot of runs. There were so many positive things offensively today that I am really proud of. It's just a great way to finish out the series."
 
After falling in the pitching duel the day prior, the Tigers brought an offensive fervor unlike any other. They opened game one with 10 runs and 10 hits to defeat Portland State by five, while running rampant in the fourth inning. The Tigers scored seven runs off four hits and two errors to grab their first lead and they never looked back.
 
Freshman Victoria Martinez Lloyd led the Tigers with two hits and 3 RBI in game one of the doubleheader. She was one of two Tigers with two hits. Senior Rian Dirmeyer cataloged two hits, one run and an RBI before making an early exit due to injury. Including Martinez Lloyd and Dirmeyer, eight Tigers recorded a hit enroute to the game one win, while two scored two runs.
 
Sophomore Olivia Silvestre and junior Delaney Scully grabbed two runs a piece while each recording a hit. Scully was accredited with an RBI, while leading both teams with eight putouts.
 
Three pitchers saw action, with graduate student Vanessa Strong starting the afternoon off for the Tigers. She pitched through 3.0 innings and faced 14 batters, striking out three while allowing four hits and two runs. Junior Desiree Smith captured the win after pitching through 2.1 innings. She faced 13 batters and struck out two, allowing two hits and three runs. Senior Avery Croxall collected her first save after pitching through the remainder. She faced six batters and struck out two while only allowing one hit.
 
A similar offensive intensity carried over into game two. Silvestre, junior Emily Budelli, sophomore Jordan Hayes and senior Reagan Hamilton scored two runs apiece. Hayes led the Tigers with 3 RBI. Silvestre, Budelli and Hamilton all grabbed two hits, while Budelli and Hamilton combined for 4 RBI. Sophomore Asia Lee also went for two hits and a run, while recording an RBI. Once more, eight Tigers notched at least a hit in the high scoring affair.
 
Four pitchers took to the field in game two, with senior Amiyah Aponte getting the starting nod. She pitched through 2.1 innings, while allowing three hits and four runs. Freshman Justice Alcaraz made an appearance through 1.1 innings, facing 12 batters. She allowed five hits and three runs. Senior Scarlett Lloyd entered for 1.1 innings and faced seven batters and struck out one. She allowed three hits and one run en route to her third win of the season. Croxall closed out game two, pitching for 2.0 innings without allowing a hit or a run to capture her second save.
 
The Tigers entered the bottom of the fourth down 7-2 before Hamilton blasted a home run to draw the Tigers within four. The Vikings got one back at the top of the fifth before the floodgates reopened. 
 
In a staggering show of offense, the Tigers recorded nine hits and seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. It's the most hits in a single inning since 2009 when the Tigers recorded eight hits in an inning against Illinois. Five of the nine hits and four of the seven runs came with two outs after sophomore Amanda Bricker got called out at second.
 
Croxall shutout the Vikings through the final innings while Hayes scored the final run of the evening to clinch the 11-8 win over Portland State.
 
The Tigers return to Bill Simoni Field on Wednesday, March 27 at 4 p.m. for a doubleheader against Southeastern Louisiana.
 
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