YOUNGSVILLE, La. – The Portland State softball team went 1-1 on Friday's opening day of the Mardi Gras Mambo.

The Vikings began the afternoon with a 3-0 loss to Southeastern Louisiana before bouncing back with a 4-1 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Pitching was the storyline of game one, as Olivia Grey looked for her sixth-straight win in the circle. The Vikings offense was unable to solve SLU's Heather Zumo, as the senior right-hander held them to just three hits in the contest. Grey, now 5-1, limited the Lions to five hits and one earned run as she tied her career-high eleven strikeouts.

Both teams were quiet until SLU got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth. The Vikings found themselves trailing by three after back-to-back errors led to a two-hit, three-run inning from the Lions. Portland State threatened but failed to convert in all three of its final at-bats, stranding runners in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, handing Southeastern the shutout win.

In game two, the Vikings wasted little time offensively as they loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second. A pair of walks and a Tech error gave PSU a quick 3-0 lead.

Portland State's Allicitie Frost was solid in the circle, keeping the lady Techsters off the board in the opening three innings. Tech's Lin Edwards pulled her team within two off a solo shot to begin the bottom of the fourth, but Frost held her ground, retiring the next three batters to hold on to the lead. Neveah Smith capitalized on another Tech error in the top of the sixth, crossing home plate to extend the Viking's lead to three.

The Techsters poured on the pressure in the final frame with back-to-back base hits to bring the tying run to the plate. Grey came in with one out remaining to shut down Tech's Carol Easom at the plate and clinch the victory.

In her second win of the season, Frost allowed just seven hits in 6.2 innings while striking out five. The Vikings totaled five hits in the contest, two of those coming from Grace Johnson.

Tomorrow, Portland State will return to action with a doubleheader against No. 20 Louisiana (1 p.m. PT) and Nicholls State (3 p.m. PT).