STANFORD, Calif. – The Portland State softball team dropped its final two games at the DeMarini Invitational Sunday in Stanford, Calif. The Vikings fell to Iowa State by a score of 3-2 in the first game of the day before falling to Colorado State, 7-0.
 
Junior Darian Lindsey paced the Vikings at the plate, going 3-for-6 with an RBI to extend her current hitting streak to a career-high eight games. Rachel Menlove was the only other Viking to record multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-6 as Portland State struggled at the plate, hitting .212 as a team. 
 
Portland State took an early 1-0 lead with a run in the top of the first in game one against Iowa State. Marissa Bruno singled with one out before being driven in three batters later on an RBI double off the bat of Alexxis Ponce. The hit extended Ponce's hitting streak to six games. 
 
Iowa State plated a run in the bottom of the first inning off PSU starting pitcher Alyssa Burk. Jessica Flanagan singled and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Darian to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning. 
 
Iowa State added two more runs in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run, the first allowed by any Viking pitcher this season, to make it a 3-2 game. 
 
The rest of the game turned into a pitching duel. Burk allowed just four base runners over the final four innings of the game. The Vikings were only able to get four base runners, three walks and a hit by pitch, over the final five innings of the game to fall by the one-run margin. 
 
Burk picked up her first loss of the season, allowing three runs on five hits. 
 
Colorado State plated two runs in the top of the second inning of game two off PSU starter Katie Schroeder. The Rams added two more runs in the top of the fifth and three more in the top of the sixth to take a 7-0 lead. 
 
Portland State tallied just three base runners, one hit and two walks, over the first five innings. The Vikings had multiple runners in scoring position over the final two frames but were unable to push one across, falling by the 7-0 final. 
 
Schroeder allowed seven runs on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings in the losing effort. Haley Schimmel came on in relief and threw a perfect 1 2/3 innings to close out the game. 
 
 The Vikings return home for a much needed few days of rest before heading to UC Riverside for a three-day tournament next weekend.