PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland State softball team opened the Oregon Classic with a split on Friday, rallying to defeat Loyola Chicago 11-7 before falling to No. 14 Oregon 9-1 in the nightcap.

The Vikings moved to 4-13 overall, while Loyola dropped to 2-13. Oregon remained unbeaten on the day, improving to 17-1.

Portland State's win over Loyola came in comeback fashion. The Vikings struck first, scoring twice in the opening frame, but the Ramblers responded with a run in the first, three in the third, and another in the fourth to build a 5-2 lead.

Needing a spark, the Vikings delivered. Neveah Smith drove in Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung in the sixth before a two-out error brought in two more, tying the game at 5-5. Loyola briefly regained the lead on an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the inning, but Portland State answered in a big way. The Vikings erupted for six runs in the seventh, capitalizing on three errors and four hits to take an 11-6 lead. Loyola added one in the bottom half, but Grace Kimball shut the door to seal the victory.

Kimball earned the win with two innings of relief, while Nakoa-Chung got the start, allowing just one run over three innings. The Vikings finished with nine hits, one shy of their season high. Freshman shortstop Rylee Gaustad led the way with a career-best 3-for-4 performance, while fellow freshman Nichole Orozco tallied a team-high two RBI.

Facing a tough test against the 14th-ranked Ducks in game two, Portland State fell behind early as Oregon plated one in the first and three in the second for a 4-0 lead. The Vikings responded in the third when Smith roped an RBI triple over the left fielder's head to score Jade Henry from first. However, Oregon tacked on runs in the third, fourth, and sixth to secure the run-rule victory.

The Vikings were limited to just two hits in the nightcap—Smith's triple and a single from Ellie Babbitt.

Portland State will return to action Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium, taking on San Diego at 10 a.m. before a rematch with Loyola at 12:30 p.m.