HONOLULU, Hawaii – Portland State softball saw back-to-back comeback efforts come up short Friday at the OUTRIGGER Classic, falling 4-2 to Mercyhurst before dropping the nightcap, 6-5 in eight innings, to Hawai'I at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

The Vikings (4-9) trailed by as many as three in both games but made late pushes in each, cutting the deficit to one run in the fifth against the Lakers (1-5) and forcing extras with a seventh-inning rally against Hawai'i (7-9).
Portland State had a slow start at the plate in game one, tallying just three hits against Mercyhurst. Gracie Walters and Giselle Pantoja each saw time in the circle, combining for six hits allowed and five strikeouts in a pair of solid outings.

Mercyhurst scored once in the opening inning before pushing two across in the third. The Vikings broke through in the fifth when freshman Mia Martinez slammed her second home run of the season — a two-run shot to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Lakers answered with a run in the sixth and held on in the seventh to secure the 4-2 win.

The Vikings' bats came alive in game two against the Rainbow Wahine, tying a season high with 10 hits. Despite the production, only one of Portland State's five runs was earned, as the Vikings capitalized on three UH errors but stranded 10 runners on base.

The first Hawai'i miscue came in the opening inning, when Grace Johnson scored on a throwing error to give PSU a 1-0 lead. The 'Bows responded with two runs in the third and one in the fourth to take a 4-1 advantage. The Vikings pushed back in the fifth with an RBI single from Nichole Orozco and another UH error to make it 4-3.

Hawai'i extended its lead to 5-3 with a solo home run in the sixth, but Portland State answered in the seventh. Johnson and Breanna Lutz reached to open the frame and later scored on an error to tie the game at five.
After holding the 'Bows scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, the Vikings loaded the bases with one out in the eighth but couldn't push a run across. UH then plated the winning run in the bottom half to end it.

PSU out-hit the Rainbow Wahine 10-7, as Johnson and Lutz combined for six hits from the top two spots in the lineup. Nakoa-Chung pitched seven innings, including four scoreless, allowing seven hits before Pantoja took over.

The Vikings will close out their trip tomorrow with another doubleheader, beginning against Mercyhurst (10:00 a.m. HT / 12:00 p.m. PT) followed by the weekend finale against Hawai'i (12:30 p.m. HT / 2:30 p.m. PT).