MACON, Ga. – The start of the 2017 season did not go exactly as planned as the Portland State softball team dropped a pair of games at the Mercer Invitational in Macon, Ga. The Vikings dropped their season opener to Dayton (10-2) before dropping their second game to Murray State by a score of 5-1.
 
Portland State (0-2 overall) struggled at the plate over the two games, going 7-for-47 (.149). Senior 3B Shae Nelson led the Vikings with three hits in five at bats. Senior C Katherine Kramer went 2-for-6 on the day with a double and two runs batted in.
 
Game 1 – Dayton 10, Portland State 2 – 6 innings
 
The Vikings scored the first two runs of the 2017 season in the bottom of the first inning against the Flyers. After Nelson and SheaLee Lindsey were both hit by pitches to lead off the game, Kortney Craker popped out to the catcher for the first out, bringing Kramer to the dish. She doubled down the left field line, driving in both runners to give the Vikings the early 2-0 lead.
 
Unfortunately for the Vikings, the lead would not last long as the Flyers plated three runs, two earned, in the top of the second off PSU starting pitcher Alyssa Burk. Dayton plated three more runs off Burk in the top of the fourth, driving her from the game.
 
Freshman RHP Emma Detamore, making her first career appearance, came on in relief of Burk. She gave up one more run in the fourth to give the Flyers a 7-2 lead in the fourth.
 
Dayton picked up a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth off Detamore to go up 10-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
 
After scoring two runs in the bottom of the first, the Vikings managed just three base runners, two hits and a walk, heading into the bottom of the sixth needing a run to send the game into the seventh. Kramer led off the inning with a single through the left side for her second hit of the game and was immediately lifted for a pinch runner.
 
The next batter struck out looking for the first out of the inning. The pinch runner was then gunned down trying to steal second for the second out of the inning. The Vikings' final batter of the game also struck out as they fell 10-2 in six innings.
 
Burk was tabbed with the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, over three innings. She gave up four hits, walked three, and struck out two. Three of the four hits were doubles.
 
Dayton tallied 11 hits off PSU pitchers with five players recording multiple hits.
 
_­Game 2 – Murray State 5, Portland State 1
 
Freshman Alexxis Ponce scored the game's first run in the top of the second inning against Murray State. She reached on a fielding error by pitcher.
 
Ponce then stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by the Murray State catcher. The ball went all the way into center field where the centerfielder fielded it and then committed her own throwing error allowing Ponce to come around to score and put the Vikings up 1-0. In all, Ponce scored a run with the aid of three separate Murray State errors.
 
The Vikings had a shot to add to their lead in the top of the third after getting runners on the corners with one out. Regrettably, the next two batters recorded outs as the Racers got out of the inning.
 
Burk got the start for the Vikings again in game two and worked her way around leadoff walks in the first and second innings. She walked the leadoff batter again in the bottom of the third, but this time was unable to get out of the jam.
 
The Racers plated four runs off Burk to take a 4-1 lead at the end of the third inning. Freshman Elena Cook came on in relief of Burk in the third and got the final out of the inning. She gave up her first career run in the bottom of the fourth to put Murray State up 5-1 before being relieved by Detamore.
 
The Vikings went in order in the fourth and fifth innings before sophomore Kaela Morrow doubled with two outs in the top of the sixth. She would be stranded there after the next batter struck out looking. The Vikings struggled with their situational hitting on the day. Over the two games, they went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-14 with two outs.
 
Murray State had two runners in scoring position to start the bottom of the sixth but Detamore got a fly out and a couple of pop outs to end the inning.
 
The Vikings could not get anything going in the seventh as they fell 5-1 to the racers.
 
Burk was again tabbed with the loss after allowing four earned runs on four hits over 2 2/3 innings. She walked four and failed to record a strikeout.
 
The Vikings are back in action Saturday at the Mercer Invitational with two more game. They take on Kent State at 8:45 a.m. PT before taking on Mercer at 11 a.m. PT.