TEMPE, Ariz. – Portland State softball dropped its final game of the Littlewood Invitational to No. 22 Arizona State on Saturday at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium.
The Vikings (3-7), who faced a challenging schedule over three days in the desert, finished the weekend 1-4 after a 20-2 run-rule loss to the Sun Devils (8-1).
Arizona State built its lead in the second, taking advantage of walks and a defensive miscue before stringing together hits to score 11 runs in the inning and seven more in the third. The Vikings responded with two runs in the fourth. Breanna Lutz opened the inning with a single, Abigail Carsley drove her in with an RBI double, and Jolee Benson followed with an RBI single to make it 18-2. Arizona State held PSU scoreless in the top of the fifth to close it out.
The Vikings totaled five hits against a strong ASU staff, with five different players recording one. Grace Johnson led the Vikings in Tempe, hitting .357 (5-for-14) across five games, including a 4-for-6 showing in two contests against the Sun Devils. Benson hit .308 (4-for-13) on the weekend and drove in a team-high four runs.
Following a bye weekend, the Vikings head to Honolulu, Hawaii for five games Feb. 26–28 against Mercyhurst and University of Hawaii at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
