HILLSBORO, Ore. - The Portland State softball team had their hands full on Tuesday, hosting 10th-ranked Florida State for a home-opening doubleheader at Hillsboro Stadium. The Vikings couldn't hold off the potent Seminole offense, falling in both games by scores of 11-0 and 18-5.

Facing their third-ranked opponent of the season, the Vikings fell to 4-18 overall. The Noles improved to 22-5. Despite the final scores, the Vikings were within five runs of FSU heading into the sixth inning of both games. However, the Noles pulled away in the final frames of both contests to seal convincing victories.

The Vikings managed eight hits across both games, with a standout moment coming from freshman Gracie Toney's three-run home run in game two. Portland State threw all seven pitchers on their staff across 13 innings, while defensive struggles led to six errors—one in the first game and five in the second.

As previously mentioned, the Vikings stayed within reach of the Noles for much of the opener on Tuesday. FSU took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and added another in the second. In the third, they extended their lead to five, capitalizing on a hit batter and a walk to set up two ground-out RBIs. Portland State's Annie Lemos, who entered in relief midway through the third, held FSU scoreless in the next two frames, keeping the score at 5-0 heading into the sixth. However, the Noles exploded for six runs on four hits in the sixth, taking an 11-0 lead and sealing the game with a shutout in the Vikings' final at-bat for an 11-0 run-rule victory.

The nightcap had a similar start, with Florida State jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first. The Vikings responded in the bottom of the inning when Lorraine Alo scored Grace Johnson with an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 4-1. The Noles added a run in the third and extended their lead with a five-run, six-hit fourth inning to make it 10-1.

Portland State didn't back down. Alo led off the fourth with a single, followed by a walk to Nichole Orozco. After a fielder's choice moved Alo into scoring position, Natalia Martinez drove her in to make it 10-2. With two outs and runners on base, Toney stepped in as a pinch hitter and belted a three-run home run over the center field fence, trimming the deficit to 10-5 and keeping the run rule at bay.

Freshman Delaney Hoyle then kept the Vikings within striking distance, tossing two shutout innings. However, Florida State broke the game open in the seventh, scoring eight runs to extend their lead to 18-5, ultimately securing the victory.

PSU faced three Florida State pitchers in the nightcap, tallying six hits, four of those coming from Alo and Johnson. Johnson, who also had a hit in the first game along with Ellie Babbitt, led the Vikings on the day with a solid 3-for-7 performance (.429).

The Vikings now face a quick turnaround, as they prepare for five games this weekend at the Santa Clara/St. Mary's Invitational. They'll open the weekend with a doubleheader on Friday, March 14, against Harvard and Santa Clara, starting at noon.