CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (May 15, 2021) - The sixth-seeded Nebraska Wesleyan softball team (15-21) dropped a pair of one-run games to Luther College (30-14) in the American River Conference (A-R-C) Championship Series. The Prairie Wolves dropped game one, 5-4, and fell in game two, 6-5. It was NWU's first-ever appearances in the championship series since joining the conference.

Game One Recap
NWU continued its offensive hot streak with three runs in the first inning. Taylor Styskal knocked an RBI single to score the first run. After a double steal from Emma Alfieri and Styskal, Kailey Meyer pushed both runners across the plate on a single for the 3-0 advantage. 

Both teams settled in defensive as no runs were scored until Luther plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Prairie Wolves responded with a run in the top of the sixth as they traded a groundout for a run scored by Rachel Mundt.

The Norse rallied back in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs then held Nebraska Wesleyan scoreless in the seventh inning after giving up a double to Styskal in the inning. The loss snapped NWU's four-game winning streak. 

Game Two Recap
Nebraska Wesleyan again started out with an early score to lead off game two. Emma Alfieri used a Kailey Meyer single to score the first of the game. 

Luther answered with a run in the bottom half of the first inning then added four more runs in the bottom of the second inning. NWU regrouped defensively and only allowed one hit in the next three innings. 

The Norse could not keep the Prairie Wolves offense contained the entire game, as they tied the game with four runs in the fifth. With two runners on base, Hanna Roth ripped a two-run single to make it 5-3. A few batters later, a bases loaded fielder's choice scored Alfieri before Sydney Nickerson drew a bases loaded walk for the tying run with two outs. However, Luther escaped the jam before NWU could do more damage. 

A leadoff triple followed by a wild pitch in the next inning allowed LC to plate the winning run. Nebraska Wesleyan's seventh inning rally to tie the game started with a leadoff single from Styskal. But the momentum stalled out as the Norse retired the next three batters in order.