HILLSBORO, Ore. – Portland State softball's Gracie Walters threw a no-hitter in game two of Saturday's doubleheader against Montana, leading the Vikings to a 4-1 victory at Hillsboro Stadium and evening the series after a 7-0 loss in the opener.

The game two win marked Portland State's 10th of the season, improving the Vikings to 10-33 overall and 3-5 in Big Sky play. Montana, which snapped a 10-game losing streak with its game one shutout, finished the day at 8-32 overall and 1-7 in conference action.

Montana took early control in game one and never looked back. The Griz scored twice in the opening frame, added a two-run homer in the second, and broke the game open with a three-run fifth. Portland State managed just four hits and stranded five runners on base, with two of those hits not coming until the sixth inning.

Game two was a completely different story. Walters, a redshirt junior, delivered a dominant performance in the circle, tossing a no-hitter while allowing just three base runners. After a hit batter, a sac bunt, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly brought in the Griz' lone run, Walters locked in and retired the side in order in four of the next five innings. Backed by a flawless defensive effort, she held Montana hitless while the Vikings chipped away offensively. 

Portland State took advantage of five hits and four Griz errors to score four runs. After Montana took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, the Vikings responded immediately, capitalizing on defensive miscues to jump ahead 2-1. In the fifth, Grace Johnson laid down a leadoff bunt single, setting the stage for Lorraine Alo, who launched a two-run homer to extend the lead to 4-1.

Walters closed it out with a 1-2-3 seventh, securing the no-hitter—the program's first from an individual since Olivia Grey's five-inning effort against Montana in the 2023 Big Sky Tournament, and just the second since 2012. 

Alo led the Vikings in game one with a pair of base hits, while Nichole Orozco powered the offense in the nightcap with two hits. 

The Vikings and Griz return to Hillsboro Stadium tomorrow for the rubber match, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.