RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Following a 2-0 start to the season yesterday, the Portland State softball team split its doubleheader at the Lynn Russell Miller Classic on Saturday. The Vikings suffered a 6-5 extra-inning loss to Pacific (Calif.) before bouncing back with a 7-1 win over UC Riverside in game two.

Portland State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against the Tigers after Kiara McCrea knocked in Maddie Thompson and Olivia Dean with a two-RBI double. The score remained the same until the fifth when Emily Johansen cashed an RBI single to score Thompson, extending the Viking's lead.

The Tigers responded with five runs in the bottom half of the fifth, taking their first lead of the day at 5-3, heading into the sixth.

Down to their final out, the Vikings loaded the bases for Dean in the top of the seventh. The senior got the job done, tying the game at five with a two-RBI single, sending the game into extra innings. After holding the Vikings scoreless in the top of the eighth, the Tigers scored the game-winning run in their half of the inning to seal the 6-5 victory.   

The Vikings bounced back in game two against UC Riverside. Emily Johansen began the scoring frenzy in the third, with a grand slam to put the Vikings on top 4-0. PSU added to their lead in the fifth thanks to back-to-back RBIs from Logan Riggenbach and Mariah Rodriguez. After Dean tacked on one more for the Vikings in the top half of the sixth, UC Riverside got on the board with a sacrifice fly. Olivia Grey shut down the Highlanders in their final at-bat to clinch the 7-1 win for the Vikings.

Grey tossed a complete seven innings, allowing just six hits to improve to 2-0 on the season. Portland State ended with seven hits, three of those coming from Johansen.

The Vikings will play Utah Valley in their final game of the weekend tomorrow at 9 a.m.