Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
PORTLAND – The Portland State softball team dropped both ends of its day-nigh doubleheader to No. 5 Oregon Tuesday at Erv Lind Stadium. Oregon took the first game by a score of 5-0 before winning the second game 8-0 in five innings.

Oregon got on board with a run in the top of the first and a run in the top of the second to take a 2-0 lead early in game one. It added an unearned run in the fourth off Vikings' starting pitcher Raya Johnson to go up 3-0.

Oregon increased its lead to 5-0 after getting three consecutive one-out singles in the top of the fifth. Johnson loaded the bases in the top of the sixth before being lifted for senior pitcher Anna Bertrand. Bertrand induced a ground ball out to third to leave the bases loaded and get out of the threat.

Johnson threw 5 2/3 innings allowing five runs, four earned, on 10 hits. She walked four and did not record a strikeout. She was credited with the loss. 

Oregon's starting pitcher Cheridan Hawkings kept the Vikings off balance and off the base paths for much of the game. She threw 4 1/3 innings allowing just one hit while walking one and striking four. She earned the win, moving to 15-3 on the season.

Karissa Hovinga closed out the game for Oregon picking up where Hawkings left off. She allowed only one hit in 2 2/3 innings while striking out three. No Viking moved past first base in the game.

The Vikings did not help their case to start game two by allowing three unearned runs in the top of the first after two of the first three Oregon batters reached on PSU errors. Oregon added another run in the top of the second to take a 4-0 lead.

Johnson again started in the circle for the Vikings throwing three innings allowing four runs, only one of which was earned. She walked three and struck out three in game two but earned the loss falling to 2-4 on the season.

Oregon added four runs to take an 8-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Samantha Pappas capped the inning with a two-run home run to right field off relief pitcher Karyn Wright. Wright pitched the fourth and the fifth for the Vikings allowing four earned runs on five hits.

Jessica Moore threw four shutout innings for Oregon allowing just two hits while striking out eight of the 14 batters she faced. She improved to 20-3 with the win.

Alexa Morales recorded the first hit for the Vikings in game two leading off the bottom of the third. Brittany Hendrickson ripped a shot up the middle in the fourth and Aubrey Nitschelm hit one through the left side to account for the third and final hit in the game for the Vikings.

Morales went 2-for-3 on the day with a pair of singles and was the only Viking with more than one hit.

The Vikings will be back in action this weekend when they travel to Pocatello, Idaho for a three-game Big Sky Conference series with Idaho State. The Vikings and Bengals will square-off twice on Saturday starting at noon. The series finale is slated for noon on Sunday.

NOTES: The games were played in front of a season-high attendance of 589 … Alexa Morales went 2-for-3 on the day.