REDDING, Calif. - The softball team continued play today in the second half of its four-game series against Park-Gilbert University. 

After a day one split the Red Hawks looked to take the series and punch its playoff ticket. 

Simpson got on the board in the bottom of the first inning after a lead-off walk to Nicolena Holen came around to score on a triple by Cailey Rizzardo. 



Followed by a two-out RBI single by Madyson Welch to score Rizzardo made it a 2-0 game. 

The Bucs put some early traffic on and cashed in three runs to take the 3-2 lead. 

The Bucs added another run in the top of the third inning to make it a 4-2 game. 

But the Red Hawks made some noise in the bottom half of the inning as two doubles by Holen and Amy LeGrande cut the Park lead to one. 

A single by LeGrande started a two-out rally that came around to score on a clutch double in the right center alley to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. 

Jesica Ulshoeffer fired 5.1 innings of one-run softball out of the bullpen to keep the Buc's bats quiet. 

A lead-off single by Marissa Ramirez was followed by a walk to pinch hitter Kimberlee Walston moved the go-ahead run into scoring position. 

A single by Kayley Vaillette came close to untying the game but a good defensive play cut down the go-ahead run at the plate. 

Park escaped the jam to keep the game tied 4-4.

Park scratched the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly to take the 5-4 lead. 

A lead-off walk to LeGrande put the tying run on base and brought the winning to the plate. 

But another good defensive play by Park ended the game on a 5-4-3 double play. 

Game 2:

Game two proved to be another pitcher's duel as Jacquelyn Lujan took the mound for the Red Hawks. 

Both pitchers held each other's teams off the scoreboard for the first 10.5 innings of play. 

A lead-off double by Amy LeGrande put the go-ahead run in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

But courtesy runner Madeline Moorhead went as far as third base before the Bucs pitcher escaped the jam. 

Lujan pitched her heart out again in what was the second game this weekend to go 10+ innings. 

She took the ball first in the top of the 10th inning with the ghost runner on second base as they went into tie-breaker rules. 

After allowing a walk to put two runners aboard, she proceeded to sit down the Park batters in order to strand both runners. 

The Red Hawks could not push across the game-winner in the tenth as Lujan fired another clean inning with the help of her defense. 

A 1-3-2 double play started by Lujan fielding a ground ball and a perfect throw by first baseman Holen to catcher Ariel Schulzkump helped keep the Bucs off the board to end the top of the eleventh inning. 

A sacrifice bunt by Holen moved the ghost runner Kayley Vaillette up to third base with just one out. 

One of the biggest hits of her young career came from Ariel Schulzkump as she hit a hard ground ball up the middle with a drawn-in-infield to end the game and walk off the 1-0 victory. 



The Red Hawks mustered two hits all game but the big blow came from Schulzkump in the bottom of the eleventh inning. 

Lujan had another spectacular outing on the mound as she fired the 11-inning complete game shutout while allowing just one hit and striking out nine Park batters. The only hit she allowed came from the lead-off batter to begin the game. From then on it was all Jacquelyn Lujan. 



In two days, Lujan has thrown a total of 21 innings and 20 shutout innings while surrendering just two earned runs all weekend and striking out 20 Park batters. 

With the second-game victory, Simpson has punched its playoff ticket for the fifteenth consecutive year under Head Coach Wayne Stower. 

Simpson looks to move up in the playoff standings as they have one last series this coming week at home against La Sierra.