LA JOLLA, Calif. - The Portland State softball team split day two of the La Jolla Invitational, falling to BYU 9-1 before bouncing back with a 7-4 win over UC San Diego in the nightcap.
The Vikings enter the final day of opening weekend with a 1-2 record. BYU improved to 3-0, while the Tritons dropped to 0-3.
The Cougars took control early in game one, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning before breaking it open with a five-run second. Ellie Babbitt put the Vikings on the board in the third, scoring Jade Henry with a sacrifice fly, but BYU ended the game via run rule with two more runs in the fifth.
Portland State managed just one hit in the loss, a single from Natalia Martinez.
The Vikings flipped the script in game two, striking first as Lorraine Alo delivered a two-run single to score Grace Johnson and Neveah Smith in the opening inning. UC San Diego responded with two runs in their half of the first and took a 3-2 lead in the second.
Portland State answered with a three-run third, highlighted by RBI from Martinez and Alo to reclaim the lead at 5-3. Alo added her fourth RBI of the night in the fourth, and Alapese Matautia capped the scoring in the fifth with a fielder's choice RBI that brought in Babbitt.
The Tritons cut the deficit to three in the sixth, but Grace Kimball shut them down the rest of the way. Kimball notched her first complete game of the season, striking out six while allowing three earned runs to even her record at 1-1.
The Vikings tallied three hits in game two, led by a two-hit performance from Smith.
To make up for Friday's rainout, Portland State and UC San Diego have added a game to Sunday's schedule. The teams will face off at 9:30 a.m. before the Vikings wrap up the weekend against Winthrop at 12:30 p.m.
