MANKATO, Minn.: With a loss in the opening game of the UMAC tournament, the Yellowjacket softball team put its collective back against the wall. They were given a stay of execution thanks to the double elimination tournament format, but they would have to win the rest of the way out to avoid their season coming to an end. They lived to see the tournament's second day by way of a late Thursday afternoon win over Minnesota Morris.

The loss to St. Scholastica in the tournament's second game may have surprised some, but it's not unusual to see a No. 3 seed take down a No. 2. The bigger surprise involved the Yellowjackets' opponent Friday afternoon. The top-seeded Bethany Lutheran College Vikings, the tournament host and the team that went unbeaten through the UMAC regular season schedule, was upended Thursday by Northwestern, creating a No. 1 versus No. 2 elimination game.

Friday afternoon the Yellowjackets tightened up the defensive issues they experienced Thursday, but unfortunately for them the offense dried up and they were unable to advance in the UMAC tournament, falling to Bethany Lutheran 5-0.

Shelby Bloemendaal tossed a gem for the Vikings, shutting out the Yellowjackets on just one hit, a pinch hit single up the middle by Davriana Horvath (Esko, Minn./Esko) with two outs in the top of the third inning. The Yellowjackets mustered just two base runners in the game.

Bethany Lutheran left a runner on base in the first, and left the bases loaded in the second. They broke through in the third, scoring a pair of runs to go up 2-0. They added three more runs in the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of walks and a two-out home run to left field off the bat of Jenna Reynolds, to make the final score 5-0.

Amanda Kishish (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) got the start for the Yellowjackets and was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. She walked five and struck out one and saw her record fall to 5-5 on the year. Ashley Taipale (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) came in to pitch the final two-thirds of an inning for the Yellowjackets.

The loss brings the season to an end for the Yellowjackets, who finished the campaign 18-19.