HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Corban University softball team surrendered a total of just eight hits and two earned runs between its two contests with Portland State University on Wednesday. The Warriors hung tough against the NCAA Division I foe, but the Vikings came away with a 6-0 victory in game one and a 3-0 triumph in the nightcap.

It was a costly first inning that haunted the Navy and Gold in game one, as the hometown squad plated four runs in the first without collecting a single hit. After that, reliever Alise Olson—who relieved starter Tatiana Liu, who was charged with those four unearned runs—came in and settled in nicely in the circle, tossing five and a third innings and allowing just two runs in that span.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Corban bats had a tough time stringing together knocks against a brilliant effort from PSU starter Olivia Grey, who struck out 10 in five innings of scoreless work. She would earn the win in game one, moving to 11-1 to start the season; Marisol Gaona finished out the contest by pitching the sixth and the seventh, keeping the shutout intact.

Grey has made a name for herself as one of the best young arms at any level in the Northwest, having earned Big Sky Pitcher of the Week plaudits three times already this year as a freshman, with her most recent recognition coming on the heels of a complete-game victory over No. 23-ranked Oregon State.

The Warriors ran into another challenging arm in the second game of the twin bill, as PSU's Annie Lemos also turned in five scoreless frames in the circle in game two.

Her counterpart Holly Gonzales was also exceptional, however, as Corban's southpaw battled valiantly to keep the Navy and Gold in the contest. Gonzales didn't surrender an earned run in the game, throwing all six innings of work and striking out three.

A Warrior error and an RBI single from the Vikings' Paetynn Lopez helped the hometown squad plate a pair in the third, and another Corban defensive miscue accounted for PSU's third and final run in the following stanza.

The PSU pitching—headed up by Lemos and reliever Allicitie Frost—would succeed in shutting down any hopes of a Warrior comeback, limiting the Navy and Gold to just two hits in the game-two defeat.

Those two hits came from Cambria Kerze and Karla Calderon, who also registered knocks in game one against Grey. Madison Wyllie was the other Warrior to collect a base hit on Wednesday, going 1-for-3 in the game one.

Corban (11-16, 5-5 CCC) will return to Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action this weekend, with inclement weather forcing an adjusted schedule for the squad in its road series against Northwest University.

The Warriors and Eagles are now slated to play three games on Friday, March 18, with first pitch for each contest slate for 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. up at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Wash.

The non-conference series finale has been canceled due to the forecasted inclement weather.