CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – The fourth-seed Gallaudet University softball team saw its 2011 season come to an end Friday in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) South Division tournament hosted by Wilson College.

GU (10-26) dropped both of its games on Friday in the double elimination tournament. The Bison went up against top-seed Wilson on Friday morning and lost 14-1 in five innings. In the first elimination game of the tournament, the Bison faced second-seed Penn St.-Harrisburg in the afternoon and was shut out by the Nittany Lions 9-0 in five innings.

Third-seed Penn St.-Berks and Penn St.-Harrisburg will face each other in an elimination game on Saturday, April 30, with the winner advancing to face the Phoenix. Wilson is in the driver's seat since they defeated Gallaudet and Penn St.-Berks, 2-1, on Friday. Penn St.-Berks or Penn St.-Harrisburg will need to beat the Phoenix twice on Saturday to take the title while Wilson will need one win.

Gallaudet's defense let it down in the first game as the Buff and Blue committed six errors as the Phoenix scored runs in every inning. Wilson erupted for four runs in the second and eight in the third. The Bison bats were overmatched by Wilson pitcher Leigh Roche (9-5), who struck out 12 of the 21 batters she faced in five innings of work. At one point, Roche struck out seven straight Bison spanning the first through the third innings.

Freshman pitcher Rachel Sweigart (Big Rock, Ill.) started for the Bison and lasted two and two-thirds innings. Sweigart (5-7) allowed 13 runs (six earned) on nine hits, four walks and one strikeout.

GU got on the scoreboard in the fourth when junior third baseman Casey McCullough (Oceanside, Calif.) doubled home sophomore Alicia Johnson (San Jose, Calif.), who led off with a walk.

Wilson was led by shortstop Maggie Sipps (2-for-4) as she drove in three runs and scored three times to go with a triple. Sophomore Brianna Smith (3-for-3) scored three times from the lead-off position and drove in one run.

In the elimination game the Bison behind early once more. Penn St.-Harrisburg (19-15) scored six runs in the second inning as Johnson (4-10) walked four batters, three straight, and allowed three singles. The Nittany Lions tacked on three additional runs in the third to trigger the eight-run mercy rule.

Johnson allowed nine runs (six earned) off six hits, eight walks, four strikeouts and three wild pitches. GU only had three hits, all singles, off Brittany Kringer (10-6) and they came in the fourth and fifth innings.

The Bison finish the season with 10 wins in the debut season for Coach Joseph Kolcun. The double digit win season is the first since 2006 and the fourth time in the past decade.