A tough weekend of conference play gave way to a pair of nonleague losses for the YVC softball team on Monday. The Yaks dropped three of four at home to league rivals Walla Walla and Columbia Basin, and were unable to recapture their momentum against Lower Columbia, falling to 8-16 overall (2-6 NWAC East).
 

Game one against Walla Walla was heading in a positive direction, with YVC taking a 2-1 lead through three innings. But after taking the lead with two runs in the fourth, the Warriors unloaded with 11 runs in the top of the fifth to hand the Yaks a 14-2 defeat. Kylee Bradley and Abbygale Sheridan each drove in a run, but the YVC offense managed only three hits and the defense committed four errors. Starter Kassidy Van Soest went 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs and seven hits, while relievers Kathryn Prest and Arissa LeBaron gave up seven hits and nine runs combined in 2/3 of an inning.
 

Walla Walla got to Prest early in game two, scoring two runs in the first, five in the second and four in the third on the way to a 12-2 victory. LeBaron pitched well in relief, allowing one run and four hits over three innings, and Sheridan delivered an RBI single in the fourth. Addison Flynn accounted for two of the Yaks' eight hits.
 

The Yaks bounced back in Saturday's game on against CBC, scoring two in the second and three in the third to claim a 6-5 win. Bradley had an RBI single and Sheridan delivered a run-scoring double in the second, while Rillee Huber added a two-run single in the third. Van Soest was solid in the circle, striking out nine and allowing six hits and four earned runs for the complete-game victory. Game two featured just four hits by the Yaks, who fell behind early before going down 14-0 to the Hawks. Riley Eckhardt went 2-for-2 with a double, while LeBaron and Prest split the pitching duties, allowing a combined nine hits and five walks.
 

Monday's nonleague doubleheader against Lower Columbia resulted in losses of 11-1 and 20-7. Van Soest was touched up for 11 hits and 11 runs in game one, allowing four walks and three home runs. She also had one of the Yaks' three hits, joining Huber and Bradley. YVC took a four-run lead in game three on the strength of a six-run third inning led by a two-run single by Madalyn Telles, an RBI single by Huber and a two-run RBI double by Bradley. But the Devils regained the lead with a nine-run fourth and then put the game away with another nine runs in the sixth. Bradley finished 2-for-3 with three RBI to lead the offense, while the pitching staff surrendered 15 hits and 13 walks.
 

YVC will return to action Friday at Treasure Valley, followed by a road trip to Blue Mountain on Saturday.