Two weeks ago, the Oregon Ducks were beating the No. 1 team in the country on the road. But Tuesday night, the Portland State softball team went toe-to-toe with the in-state powerhouse in two close games. The Vikings carried momentum from last week's sweep of Southern Utah into the midweek doubleheader and now will hope for more good performances in an important road series against Sacramento State this weekend.

Portland State (16-26/5-6 BSC) outhit Oregon in both games on the road, but timely hitting by the Ducks gave them a slight advantage in the doubleheader. Still, the close results should give the Vikings confidence in the final two weeks of conference play.

The Vikings  jumped into a tie for third in the Big Sky following the Southern Utah series, but finish the season against the top two teams in the conference standings. They will need to have all three facets of the game clicking in the last two weeks if they want to finish in the top half of the Big Sky.

Rachel Menlove had a huge performance at the plate, going 6-for-8 over the course of the two games. Darian Lindsey also extended her reached base streak to 17 games with a walk in the poener and an RBI hit in the second. Marissa Bruno and Kaela Morrow each had multi-hit, two-RBI performances in game two as well.

Game One - Oregon 5, Portland State 3

The Vikings outhit the Ducks 10-8 in the opener but left nine runners on base, including a fifth inning where they failed to score despite loading the bases, in a tight loss. But it was an inspiring start to the doubleheader that saw a solid start from Serafine Parrish and a number of good offensive performances as well.

Portland State scored first, unwavered in front of a crowd of nearly 2,000 fans. Darian Lindsey led off the game with a walk. Jessica Flanagan followed it up with a single and the bases were loaded on a Tayler Gunesch walk. Sala Pedebone delivered with an RBI single and Flanagan then scored on a wild pitch to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead in the first.

The Ducks responded in the bottom half of the inning, however. Oregon started with two singles, but Rachel Menlove caught a player stealing to put just one runner on base. A walk once again put runners on first and second, when Shaye Bowden left the yard for a three-run homer to give Oregon the lead again.

In the second inning, Ashley Doyle hit her first home run of the inning to lead off and tie the game back up at 3-all. But Oregon responded with a run in the bottom half to take the lead for good.

Portland State had its best chance to score again in the fifth inning. Flanagan singled with one out, Gunesch followed that with a bunt single and Menlove loaded the bases by hitting a single through the left side. The bases were loaded, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the inning and the Vikings left still trailing by two.

In the sixth, the Vikings threatened again with back-to-back singles from Doyle and Riley Casper. But Oregon came up with a stop yet again, escaping the jam with its two run lead still in tact. The Ducks would hold on for the close 5-3 win.

Parrish went all six innings for Portland State, allowing eight hits and five runs. Pedebone and Doyle each had an RBI in the game while Flanagan also had a pair of hits.

Game Two - Oregon 9, Portland State 8

The Vikings put together a big lead in the second game of the doubleheader, but a big fifth inning from the Ducks turned the tide back in favor of the hosts. The Ducks struck first, scoring in the bottom half of the first inning, scoring an unearned run following a Portland State error.

The Vikings made up for it quickly, putting up a massive number in the second inning. Sala Pedebone led off with a double into left field which was followed by a Alexis Morrison being hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Marissa Bruno then brought both runners home with a two RBI double into left center.

Darian Lindsey followed that up with a single through the right side to score Bruno. Oregon made some defensive changes, but it didn't stop the Viking offense. Menlove singled into center to score a run later and Kaela Morrow followed it up with a similar at-bat, giving Portland State a 5-1 lead after the second inning.

Oregon scored in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 5-2, but Portland State put up another crooked number in the fourth to take a commanding lead. Flanagan and Gunesch led off with back-to-back singles, forcing a pitching change from the Ducks. Menlove singled right after to load the bases.

Morrow scored a run with a single into center field and kept the bases loaded. The Ducks attempted a double play to get out of the inning later, but Morrison beat out the throw and scored a run in the process. Doyle then singled through the left side, scoring the third run of the inning and putting Portland State in front 8-2.

Oregon cut the lead to five in the fourth inning, but really changed the game in the fifth. The Ducks had an RBI single, a two-run homer and an inside the park home run that scored three runs in a six-run fifth inning. The big number put Oregon ahead 9-8.

The Vikings were retired in order in the sixth, but put up a solid final effort in the seventh. Bruno recorded an infield hit to the pitcher and Lindsey drew a four-pitch walk to put a pair of runners on with two outs. Oregon ended the game with a pop-out, escaping with a one-run win.

Schimmel started the game, going four and a third inning while giving up six hits and four earned runs. Alyssa Burk was credited with the loss, appearing in relief and giving up four runs on two hits. Parrish came in to finish the second game as well, allowing just one hit while retiring four Ducks.