The NCMC Lady Pirate's softball season came to a close on Tuesday as the team fell to Jefferson College 8-5 in the second round and Three Rivers Community College 12-4 in the elimination game.  The losses in the Region 16 tournament leave the Pirates with a 31-18 final mark in Coach Steve Richman's first year at the helm.

Against Jefferson College, the Lady Pirates could not hold an early advantage in a back and forth affair.  Leading 3-1 after 2 innings and 4-2 after 4 innings, things were looking good until the Vikings plated 3 runs in the top of the 5^th to take a 5-4 lead.  Showing true grit, the Lady Pirates scratched out a run in the bottom of the 6^th inning to knot the score going into the 7^th.  That is where things turned for good in Jefferson's favor.  They were able to plate 3 more runs in the top of that frame and hold the Pirates for the 8-5 victory.  "The game against Jefferson College felt like our championship game.  Our girls played extremely tough and just came out on the losing end of a well-played game," remarked Richman.

Following the tough defeat to Jefferson, the Lady Pirates could never get on track against Three Rivers.  The Lady Raiders jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and never looked back.  NCMC was only able to come up with 4 runs, all unearned, on six hits in the game.

Top offensive performers for the Lady Pirates on the day were Bethany Jacobsen (2-5, 4 RBIs), Jaclyn Weydert (2-5, 2 Runs), and Jessica Stupar (3-7).  Allison Hilsabeck took both losses on the day leaving her with a final record of 17-10.

"I'm proud of what our sophomore players were able to accomplish in their time at NCMC.  They finish their careers with a 62-35 record which is excellent," noted Richman.