HILLSBORO, Ore. — Portland State softball carried a two-run lead into the late innings in its series finale against Santa Clara on Sunday, but the Broncos used a five-run sixth to pull away, handing the Vikings a 5-2 loss Sunday at Hillsboro Ballpark.

The loss dropped the Vikings to 10-19 overall, a record they'll carry into their Big Sky Conference opener Saturday at Montana. Santa Clara, which took the series 2-1, improved to 15-16 on the year.

The Vikings controlled Sunday's game early behind Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung, who kept the Broncos off the board through the first five innings. Santa Clara managed just two hits through the first four frames and didn't advance a runner past second during that stretch.

Portland State broke through in the third, stringing together quality at-bats to take a 2-0 lead. Jolee Benson started the rally with a double, and Grace Johnson followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Abigail Carsley and Sierra Llamas each drew RBI walks later in the inning to bring both runs home.

That lead held into the sixth before Santa Clara flipped the game with a two-out rally. The Broncos put together five runs in the inning, capitalizing on a pair of singles and an error to erase the deficit and build a three-run advantage.

Benson, who led the Vikings offensively with two hits, led off the bottom of the seventh with a single but the Vikings couldn't build on the momentum, as the Broncos shut down the threat and secured the 5-2 win to take the series.

The Vikings finished with four hits while the Broncos knocked seven.  Nakoa-Chung took the loss in the circle, falling to 5-6 overall.

Portland State turns its focus to Big Sky play next weekend, opening conference action at Montana on March 28-29 in Missoula.