HILLSBORO, Ore. – Portland State ended up on the short end of a pitching duel with the Montana Grizzlies, dropping a pair of heart-breaking one-run extra-inning games Saturday afternoon at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex in Hillsboro, Ore.
 
The Vikings (6-31 overall, 4-10 Big Sky Conference) dropped the first game 4-3 in eight innings before falling to the Grizzlies (26-19, 11-3), 2-1, again in eight innings in game two of the series.
 
Portland State hit and pitched well enough to take both games Saturday but came up just short. The Vikings out-hit the Grizzlies 15-12 over the two games, including 9-to-3 in game two. Montana entered the series with the second-best team earned run average in the Big Sky conference and Portland State was ready to go pitch-for-pitch.  
 
The Vikings allowed six runs over 16 innings for a 2.62 ERA. Freshman Emma Detamore allowed three runs over seven innings in game one. She allowed nine hits, walked two, and struck out four in a no decision.
 
Sophomore Alyssa Burk, after recording the final two outs in the game-one loss, threw a complete-game three-hitter in game two while picking up a tough loss. She allowed just two earned runs over eight innings in game two, while walking two and striking out nine.
 
Both teams struggled at the plate with runners in scoring position. Portland State went 3-for-18 with RISP, while Montana went 3-for-19. The two teams combined to leave 32 runners on base over the two games.

Montana took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning of game one after back-to-back two-out doubles. The Grizzlies plated another run off Detamore in the top of the third inning. After the first three batters of the inning singled to drive in a run, the Grizzlies loaded the bases with nobody out. The next two batters hit into fielder's choices as the Vikings got the lead runner at the plate for back-to-back outs. Detamore then struck out the final batter of the inning to get out of the bases-loaded jam.
 
Portland State plated two runs in the bottom of the third. Korina Krueg led off the inning with a double to right-center before being driven in on a double by SheaLee Lindsey to left-center. A sacrifice bunt by Shae Nelson moved Lindsey to third with one out.
 
The next batter hit it back to the pitcher who looked Lindsey back and then turned to throw to first. She did not look Lindsey back far enough because as soon as she turned to throw to first, Lindsey broke for the plate and score easily to tie the game at 2-2.  
 
After a 40-minute rain delay following the bottom of the fifth, Montana took the lead in the top of the sixth with a solo home run to left field to go up 3-2 lead.
 
Portland State entered the bottom of the seventh down by a run. The first two batters, both pinch hitters, struck out looking before Krueg singled through the right side. Jenna Stanford came on to pinch hit for the Vikings and worked the count full. The sky opened up once again and rain forced both teams back to their respective dugouts.
 
After a brief nine-minute delay, Stanford stepped back into the box with the 3-2 count, fouled off a pitch before lining a single to right field, which moved Krueg to third. Nelson then singled down the left-field line to tie the game at 3-3, sending the game to extra-innings.
 
It was the first extra-inning game for the Vikings since the 2015 season. Kortney Craker came in to pitch in the top of the eighth and gave up back-to-back one-out walks before being lifted for Burk. Burk struck out the first batter she saw for the second out. After a walk loaded the bases, a pitch got away from her and hit the next batter to drive in the go-ahead run. She induced a ground out to second for the final out.
 
Portland State went in order in the bottom of the eight to fall 4-3. Craker was tabbed with the loss after allowing the game-winning run to reach base in the eighth.
 
Montana loaded the bases in the top of the first of game two with just one out. Burk recorded her first strikeout of the game before inducing a ground out to third for the final out of the inning.
 
Portland State manufactured a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Tayler Gunesch reached on a fielder's choice with two outs in the first. She moved to third on a double down the left-field line by Craker. Kaela Morrow hit the first pitch she saw through the left side to drive in Gunesch.
 
A solo home run in the top of the third by Montana tied the game at 1-1.
 
Portland State stranded a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the third, two more in the fourth, and two more in the fifth as the game moved into the seventh tied at 1-1.
 
Neither team could get anything going in the seventh sending the game to extra-innings for the second consecutive game. The last time the Vikings played back-to-back extra-inning games was in 2013 when they played three-straight extra-inning games at Idaho State.
 
Montana led off the eight with a single up the middle. The runner moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before moving to third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch from Burk allowed the runner to score from third to give the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead. Burk got out of the inning without allowing another run but the damage was already done.
 
Craker led off the bottom of the eighth with a double off the base of the fence in left field. She was lifted for pinch runner Riley Casper. Morrow lined out on a hot shot to third for the first out. The next batter grounded out to second on an extremely close call at first base for the second out. Casper moved to third on the play.
 
Korina Krueg came up next and drilled a shot to deep left-field but the Montana fielder was able to track the ball down just shy of the wall for the final out of the game as the Vikings fell 2-1 in game two.
 
Burk was tabbed with the tough loss despite throwing one of her best games of the season. She allowed just three hits and did not allow a hit to a right-handed batter (0-for-16). She held the Grizzlies hitless (0-for-12) with runners on and to just one hit (1-for-8) with two outs.  
 
Portland State and Montana will conclude their three-game series Sunday with a 1 p.m. PT first pitch.