CLERMONT, Fla.: The offensive struggles continue for the Yellowjacket softball team, as they lost a pair of games Sunday on their spring trip in Florida, stretching their current skid to five games.

Nebraska Wesleyan 9, Yellowjackets 0

For the second day in a row the Yellowjackets saw their game get off to a close start before big innings did them in. This time around it was Nebraska Wesleyan doing the damage, as they put up crooked numbers in the third and fourth innings to blow the game open.

With the game scoreless through two innings the Prairie Wolves played small ball, using singles, sacrifice bunts and stolen bases to manufacture runs and take a 4-0 lead through three. Nebraska Wesleyan kept the momentum rolling into the fourth inning as they posted five more runs, this time using a pair of extra base hits to build their lead to 9-0. That would be more than enough, as defensively the Prairie Wolves shut the Yellowjackets down to earn the win in five innings.

The Yellowjacket offense struggled to get going in this one, as the team posted just two hits and weren't able to mount any kind of a threat in the contest. Ashley Taipale (Duluth, Minn./Denfield) and Alayna Tulip (Arcadia, Wis./Arcadia) had the hits for the Yellowjackets.

Taipale got the start in the circle for the Yellowjackets and allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 12 hits. She struck out four.

Nichols 1, Yellowjackets 0

In the second game of the day the Yellowjackets took on Nichols, looking to snap their losing streak, but more importantly find an answer to what was ailing the team's offense. They'd have to wait another day, however, as for the second game in a row the Yellowjackets were only able to muster two hits in a 1-0 loss to the Bisons.

After the Yellowjackets went down in order in the top of the first, Nichols would scratch out the only run of the game on an RBI ground out in the bottom half of the inning. From there the Bisons' pitching and defense took over to shut out the Yellowjackets.

It looked like the Yellowjackets were going to be able to pull even in the top of the seventh inning, as they put together their biggest threat of the game. With one out Davriana Horvath (Esko, Minn./Esko) walked and Bailey Armstrong (Scandia, Minn/Forest Lake) followed with a single and advanced on the throw to put two runners in scoring position with just one away, but Nichols wiggled out of the jam with a pair of groundouts to earn the one-run win.

Armstrong and Taipale accounted for the Yellowjacket hits.

Damara Theis (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) started for the Yellowjackets and went the distance, allowing just the one run on nine hits.

The Yellowjackets (2-7, 0-0 UMAC) will look to get back in the win column Monday, as they take on Southern Maine and Western New England.