HILLSBORO, Ore. — In the second day of their opening weekend at Hillsboro Ballpark, the Portland State softball team opened a three-game series against Santa Clara on Sunday, dropping game one in eight innings, 5-2, before responding with a 4-1 win in game two.

The Vikings celebrated Teri Mariani Day on Sunday, honoring a PSU great and former Portland State head softball coach. Mariani, who is the winningest coach in PSU athletics history (men or women), threw out the series ceremonial firrst pitch. 

Not counting the eighth inning in the opener, the Vikings (10-18) trailed for just half an inning across the two games. That came in the third inning of game one when the Broncos (14-16) scored twice to take a 2-0 lead, but PSU answered in the bottom half.

Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung drew an RBI walk and Mia Martinez followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2-2. The score remained unchanged until extra innings, when Santa Clara used a two-out rally in the eighth to plate three runs. The Vikings couldn't match it, falling 5-2 to open the series.

Portland State managed just three hits in the opener, coming from Grace Johnson, Sierra Llamas and Nichole Orozco. Giselle Pantoja took the loss in relief, despite holding the Broncos scoreless for four full innings after entering in the third.

The Vikings responded in game two with a 4-1 win, scoring early and backing a complete-game performance from Gracie Walters.

Portland State took control with two runs in the first inning, as Mia Martinez drove in a run on a groundout and Breanna Lutz scored on a Santa Clara error. PSU added another in the second on an RBI single from Lutz to make it 3-0.

Santa Clara cut the lead to 3-1 with a solo home run in the fifth, but Lutz delivered again in the sixth with an RBI triple down the right-field line to extend the lead to 4-1. Walters and the Vikings' defense closed it out from there.

The Vikings finished with seven hits to Santa Clara's six. Lutz went 3-for-4 with a team-high two RBIs, while Johnson reached base three times. Walters tossed her fifth complete game of the season to improve to 3-5.

Johnson also recorded three stolen bases on the day, bringing her season total to 14. Her final steal of game two tied the program's Division I era career record (48).

Portland State and Santa Clara will return Monday, March 23, for the series rubber match at Hillsboro Ballpark.