Portland State University’s softball team concluded its participation in the Littlewood Invitational with a loss to No. 22 Arizona State on Saturday at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
The Vikings, now holding a 3-7 record, completed the weekend tournament with one win and four losses. Their final game ended with a 20-2 run-rule defeat against the Sun Devils, who improved their season record to 8-1.
Arizona State took control of the game in the second inning, capitalizing on walks and an error by Portland State to score 11 runs. The Sun Devils continued their offensive momentum with seven more runs in the third inning. In response, the Vikings managed two runs in the fourth inning: Breanna Lutz led off with a single, Abigail Carsley hit an RBI double to drive her home, and Jolee Benson added an RBI single to make it 18-2. Arizona State kept Portland State scoreless in the fifth inning to secure the win.
Portland State registered five hits during the game, each by a different player. Over the five-game tournament in Tempe, Grace Johnson led her team offensively by batting .357 (5-for-14), including a strong performance against Arizona State where she went 4-for-6 over two games. Jolee Benson also contributed significantly throughout the weekend, hitting .308 (4-for-13) and driving in a team-high four runs.
After a break next weekend, Portland State will travel to Honolulu for five games between February 26–28 against Mercyhurst and University of Hawaii at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
