Maggie Ramold | Sports Co-Editor

The Buena Vista University (BVU) softball team wrapped up their regular season Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) play with a double header against 10th ranked Luther College on Saturday.

The Beavers dropped the first game of the contest 8-0 in 5 innings. Senior Sam Engleman posted a double, while junior Stephanie Hayden added a single for the only two hits for the Beavers in the first game.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Beavers kept the game close as it was tied throughout most of the game at 1-1. Luther got a pair of runs in the sixth inning to take the lead, but Engleman would tie up the contest once again with a two-run home run in the sixth. Luther would answer in the 7th with a game winning run, taking the game 4-3. Junior Jordon Piltcher and Engleman recorded the two lone hits for the Beavers.

“Our games against Luther prepared us for the tournament by showing us the type of competition we are going to be facing and how hard we will have to play,” Engleman said.

BVU ends their regular season at 13-19 overall and 5-9 in the IIAC. The Beavers finished in sixth place in conference and will look to take the conference title in the IIAC tournament that starts Friday.

“Over the season, we have continued to improve and had some key wins throughout. We are definitely capable of competing and beating some of the best teams in our conference, and the tournament is the perfect time to bring our A game,” Junior Jessica Stocker said.

The sixth-seeded Beavers will play third-seed Central College Friday starting at 12:00 p.m. in Cedar Rapids. BVU defeated Central earlier this season with their first win against the Dutch since 2004. The winner of the contest will play second-seeded Luther at 4:00 p.m on Friday.

“I’m excited to play Central our first game since we split with them in season and hit really well against their pitching, along with spending one last weekend playing softball with my teammates,” Engleman said.

Photo by Stephanie Steiner