EL PASO, Texas – The Vikings dropped their first two games at the UTEP Tournament Friday afternoon in El Paso, Texas. Portland State started the day with a 7-3 loss to New Mexico State before falling to host UTEP, 9-1 in five innings.
 
Portland State (1-5 overall) struck first against New Mexico State with a run in the top of the first. Riley Casper was hit by a pitch and then came around two score two batters later on a Kaela Morrow double to deep centerfield to put the Vikings up 1-0. New Mexico State evened the game in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run.
 
After a scoreless second inning, PSU starting pitcher Alyssa Burk got into trouble in the third. She allowed the first five batter of the inning to reach base, all of which scored, to give the Aggies a 6-1 lead. Burk was lifted for sophomore RHP Emma Detamore who got out of the inning without any more damage done.
 
New Mexico State added an unearned run off Detamore in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-1 lead. Detamore threw three innings and gave up one unearned run on two hits in her first outing of the season.
 
Freshman Rachel Menlove entered the game in the top of the sixth as a pinch hitter and blasted the second pitch she saw over the centerfield fence for her first career home run to make it 7-2 game.
 
Hannah Self led off the top of the seventh with a pinch-hit double down the left field line. Two batters later, Menlove doubled in Self to make it 7-3. That would be as close as the Vikings would get as they fell by the final four-run margin.
 
Menlove went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two RBIs in the game over the final two frames against the Aggies.
 
In game two of the day, UTEP plated two runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead. The Miners added two more in the bottom of the third to go up 4-0.
 
After walking in the first, Menlove singled to lead off the fourth. She moved to second on a wild pitch and then came around to score on a single to right-center by Self. It would be the only run of the game for the Vikings as the Miners added a run in the bottom of the fourth and then four in the bottom of the fifth to win 9-1 via the run rule.
 
Menlove was tremendous at the plate on the day going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a double, a home run, two runs batted in, and a walk. She slugged 2.333 and had and reached base in every plate appearance.
 
Self went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and a run driven in. She also picked up her first stolen base of the year.
 
As a team, the Vikings hit .250 over the two games. The pitching staff had a tough go of it in the circle. They gave up 16 runs, 14 earned, in 10 1/3 innings, while opponents hit .429.
 
Portland State will have a second chance against both teams Saturday, Feb. 24. The Vikings take on the Aggies at 9:30 a.m. PT followed by the Miners at 5 p.m. PT.