Despite winning a thrilling extra inning game to start the day and avenging Friday night’s loss with a win over Wallace State College (WSC) the Bruins ran out of steam, losing the final game of back to back contests against WSC.
For the third year in a row the No. 6-ranked SLCC Softball team (53-11) finished as the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Runner-Up with a 7-3 loss to WSC in the championship game.
After losing to WSC on Friday night, the Bruins were forced into playing a game Saturday morning against Pima College.
The Bruins won a tightly contested, back and forth affair when sophomore outfielder Malia Campos smacked an inside-the-park grand slam to give the Bruins an 8-4 lead in the top of the 12th inning.
Sophomore pitcher McCauley Flint dominated Pima College allowing only four earned runs in a 12 inning complete game to help lead the Bruins to an 8-5 win.
The win against Pima College set up a rematch with WSC and gave the Bruins an opportunity to win the NJCAA championship with two straight victories over the Lady Lions
With Flint resting her arm after her 12-inning Herculean effort it was up to freshman pitcher Kailey Christensen to lead the Bruins against WSC. Christensen came through with a complete game shutout with only four hits allowed.
Campos led the Bruin offensive charge by going 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI. Sophomore Whitney Holt continued her home run tear with a two-run blast as the Bruins earned a second matchup with WSC for the NJCAA National Championship with an 8-0 victory.
In the final game of the day and the season the Bruins ran of gas despite a valiant effort
Christensen got the start, but only lasted one inning. Flint took over from there and allowed five earned runs in six innings of work.
Sophomore infielder Maddy Woodard was 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and sophomore infielder Lyndsey Healey contributed an RBI in a losing effort.
The Bruins took a 2-2 tie into the seventh inning but WSC showed off their offensive firepower once again with a five run outburst that effectively ended the Bruins season.
