LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Portland State softball team was on the losing end of two one-run games Saturday, falling 6-5 in extra innings to LMU before dropping a 3-2 result to Southern Utah at Smith Field.
The Vikings (8-16) jumped out to a 4-0 lead over LMU (20-9) in the opener and also held an early advantage against Southern Utah (14-15), but couldn't hang on.
Four of the Vikings' five runs against the Lions came in the first inning. Grace Johnson sparked the rally with a bunt single and stoen base before Mia Martinez brought her home with a double down the left-field line. Nichole Orozco and Jolee Benson followed with RBIs before Sierra Llamas and Abigail Carsley added sacrifice flies to cap the four-run frame.
LMU chipped away with two runs in the second and eventually tied the game in the seventh on a two-run home run. Playing extra innings under international tiebreaker rules, the Vikings opened the eighth with Orozco placed on second. Benson moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Llamas reached on an error that allowed Orozco to score and give Portland State the lead back. The Lions answered in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out and securing the 6-5 win on a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI single.
PSU tallied nine hits in the loss, with a 3-for-4 performance from Johnson leading the way. Freshman Giselle Pantoja tossed the full 7.2 innings, holding the Lions to just two runs through six of those innings. She finished the outing with a career high five strikeouts.
Southern Utah was the first to strike in game two, bringing one across in its opening at bat. However, the Vikings were quick to respond thanks to a two-out two-run home run from Carsley that put them up 2-1.
The back and forth continued, with Southern Utah knotting the game in the bottom half of the second. The score remained 2-2 until the fourth, when the Thunderbirds scored one run on two hits for a 3-2 lead. The Vikings threatened in both the fifth and sixth innings, putting runners on base but couldn't bring the tying run home as SUU closed out the 3-2 victory.
The Vikings out-hit the Thunderbirds 8-6, led by two hits each from Martinez and Carsley. Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung turned in another solid outing in the circle, allowing six hits over six innings while striking out four.
Portland State will finally get a break from the road as it prepares for its home opening-weekend at Hillsboro Ballpark next week. The Vikings will host North Dakota for a doubleheader on Friday, March 20 (2 & 4:30pm) followed by a three-game series versus the Broncos Sunday and Monday (March 22-23). Admission to Hillsboro Ballpark is free for all fans.
