TEMPE, Ariz. – The Portland State softball team had its work cut out for them Thursday, facing Indiana and No. 22 Arizona State to open the Littlewood Invitational, falling in both games at Farrington Stadium.

The Vikings (2-5) fell big to Indiana (5-1) in the opener but responded with a resilient effort in game two, battling it out with nationally ranked Arizona State (6-1), tying the game midway through and trailing by just one run until the Sun Devils' final at-bat.

PSU opened the tournament against an Indiana squad receiving votes in the latest national polls. The Hoosiers seized control early, scoring seven runs in the first inning, then breaking the game open with a big fourth on the way to a 23-0 run-rule win.

The Vikings regrouped for game two and pushed Arizona State through six competitive innings. Once again facing an early deficit, Portland State trailed 5-0 after the first but answered immediately when Gracie Toney launched a two-run home run in the second.

Making her first collegiate start, Giselle Pantoja settled in after the opening frame, while the offense found momentum in the third. Alison Harris sparked the rally with an RBI triple down the right-field line, and Jolee Benson followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 5-5. Pantoja kept the Sun Devils off the board in the second and third, but Arizona State regained the lead in the fourth with a two-out RBI knock. The score held until the sixth, when the Sun Devils plated five runs on five hits to extend the margin to 11-5 — the eventual final.

The Vikings recorded nine hits, matching their season high. Grace Johnson led the way at 3-for-4, Nichole Orozco added two hits, and four others contributed one apiece. Freshman Sofia Peato recorded Portland State's lone hit in the opener against Indiana.

Portland State returns to action Friday in another doubleheader against Nevada at 11:45 a.m. PT and the Pacific at 2:30 p.m. PT at Farrington Field.