HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Portland State softball team suffered their first home losses of the season on Friday, falling in both games of a doubleheader to Weber State, by scores of 4-2 and 7-2 at Gordon Faber Field 4.
 
The Wildcats, who improved to 17-16 overall and 5-0 in conference play, put an end to the Vikings' brief conference winning streak, dropping them to 14-18 (3-2 BSC).
 
Despite a solid performance from Grace Kimball, who suffered only her second loss in over a month, the Vikings were unable to pull out a win in game one. Kimball limited the Wildcats to six hits and two earned runs while striking out five.
 
Portland State struggled defensively on Friday, committing four errors across two games, which proved costly. They out-hit the Wildcats in the opener, knocking eight hits to go along with four walks but in turn, left 13 runners stranded on base.
 
Weber State capitalized on a slow start by the Vikings in game one, scoring a run in the first inning through a hit-batter, single, and a Viking error to take a 1-0 lead. They extended their lead in the top of the second inning, scoring two more runs off three hits to make it a 3-0 lead. However, the Vikings fought back in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with a leadoff error and consecutive base hits from Alapese Matautia and Alexa Cepeda. Emily Johansen and Lorraine Alo kept the pressure on the Wildcats by drawing back-to-back six-pitch walks, cutting into the lead before Weber State worked out of the jam.
 
Weber State countered those runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring two more off another error. The Vikings mounted a threat in their last at-bat, with two runners reaching base, but the Wildcats held on, retiring the final batter to secure the win.
 
Although the final score showed a five-run loss in game two, the Vikings held a one-run lead heading into the final inning. A leadoff home run in the opening inning gave the Wildcats an early advantage. In the fifth, Alo drove in two runs to end the Vikings' scoring drought and put her team up 2-1, a lead they held until the seventh. Portland State was on the brink of evening the series when a hard-hit line drive up the middle tied the game for WSU. From there, it was a tough stretch for the Viking defense, allowing the Wildcats to score five runs with two outs, leading to a 7-2 defeat.  
 
Viking starter Allicitie Frost ended up with the loss, despite limiting the Wildcats to just one run in the opening six innings.

The Viking offense only managed three hits in game two. Alo extended her hitting streak to nine games, being the sole Viking to record a hit in both games, leading Portland State with a 4-for-6 day at the plate.
 
The Vikings will look to bounce back in the series finale on Saturday afternoon as they face off one more time against the Wildcats at Gordon Faber Field 4 (noon). The game will stream live on twitter (X). You can find the stream on Portland State Softball Twitter (X)