MACON, Ga. – The Vikings struggled again to put runs on the board Saturday as they dropped a pair of games on day two of the Mercer Invitational in Macon, Ga.
 
Portland State (0-4 overall) dropped the first game of the day, 9-1 in six innings, to Kent State before falling 5-1 to host Mercer University. The Vikings went a combined 8-for-46 at the plate over the two games as the bats remained relatively silent.
 
The bat that made the biggest statement on the day belonged to freshman Hannah Self. She went 1-for-3 on the day with her first career home run, the Vikings' first of the year, in game two of the day against Mercer.
 
Game 1 – Kent State 9, Portland State 1 (6 Innings)
 
Freshman RHP Emma Detamore earned her first career start and pitched a perfect bottom of the first against Kent State. After retiring the first four batters of the game, she gave up a double to left field. A single through the left side and an advance on the throw put two runners in scoring position with one out.
 
The next batter for Kent State singled up the middle scoring the runner on third. The Vikings' center fielder bobbled the ball, which allowed the second runner to score giving the Golden Flashes a 2-0 lead. Detamore induced a double play to end the inning and get out of the jam.
 
Junior Kortney Craker came on to pitch for the first time in her Portland State career to start the bottom of the third. She gave up one run with a pair of walks, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly to give Kent State a 3-0 lead at the end of the third.  
 
Portland State could not get anything going over the first few innings of the game. The Vikings' first base runner of the game came as a walk to lead off the top of the second but that runners was erased on a double play.  
 
The Vikings picked up a hit in the third but then went in order in the fourth and fifth innings. Kent State picked up three more runs, one earned, in the bottom of the fifth inning to go up 6-0.
 
SheaLee Lindsey singled up the middle with two outs in the top of the sixth. Shae Nelson moved her to second after being hit by a pitch. Craker singled up the middle, driving in Lindsey for the Vikings' only run of the game to make it 6-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
 
Kent State plated three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to win the game in six innings, 9-1.
 
Detamore earned her first loss of the year after allowing three runs, two earned over just two innings pitched.
 
Game 2 – Mercer 5, Portland State 1
 
Lindsey led off the second game of the day with a double down the left field line. She was stranded at third as the Vikings were unable to bring her in. After Lindsey's double, Mercer retired the next 11 Viking batters before PSU put together back-to-back hits in the top of the fourth. Again both base runners were stranded on the base paths.
 
Detamore got the ball again to start game two and threw two shutout innings to start the game despite giving up a leadoff triple in the bottom of the first. She was unable to work around two base hits and an error in the third allowing an unearned run to make it a 1-0 game. Mercer made it a 2-0 game with a run off Detamore in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Self led off the top of the fifth with a solo home run over the left field fence, the first of her career and the first by a Viking this season, to make it a 2-1 game.
 
Freshman RHP Elena Cook came on to pitch for the Vikings in the fourth, getting the last out of the inning. After working a scoreless fifth, the first three batters in the bottom of the sixth reached base to load the bases.
 
Sophomore RHP Alyssa Burk came on in relief and induced a fly out to left but the runner from third tagged and scored to make it a 3-1 game. Two errors by the infield allowed two more runs to score, both unearned, and the Vikings trailed 5-1 heading to the top of the seventh.
 
The Vikings went in order in the seventh to fall by a score of 5-1.
 
Detamore picked up her second loss of the day, falling to 0-2 on the season. She allowed two runs, one earned, over 3 1/3 innings pitched. She gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out two.
 
Portland State will look for its first win of the year Sunday morning in a rematch with Dayton. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. ET.