CLERMONT, Fla. (May 4, 2018) – The 2018 Webber International University softball season came to an end on Friday at PFX Athletics Legends Way Ballfields during day two of the Sun Conference Softball Tournament as the fifth-seeded Warriors fell 4-1 to sixth-seeded Keiser University.

In its final game of the year, Webber finished with only one run with two or more errors for the second game in a row and had only four hits as Marisha Bullard went 2-for-3 for the second straight game.

After the Warriors fell behind 6-0 in the first inning during the opening game of the tournament against the University of South Carolina Beaufort on Thursday, Webber (18-21) again fell behind in the opening inning against Keiser (23-20) on Friday as the Seahawks pushed across two runs in the inning on a squeeze bunt and a sacrifice fly.

The Warrior offense pushed a runner into scoring position in each of the first three innings and left runners on first and second in both the second and the third innings, but was unable to get one across the plate as a long fly out to deep left field in the first and a picture perfect 6-4-3 double play in the third ended the Warriors' threats.

In the fifth inning, Webber made things interesting as a leadoff walk by Cassidy Roberts, the first hit of the season by Kaitlin Cockroft and the second bunt hit of the game by Bullard loaded the bases with no outs.

After a pop out to first base, Victoria Atkinson, who had already walked twice in the game during her first two plate appearances, came to the plate wielding a .400 batting average with the bases loaded. Atkinson proceeded to nearly clear the bases with a long drive off the fence in foul territory in left, just missing a potential grand slam by about seven feet with the wind blowing in hard from right to left to push it just foul.

It was an opportunity for the Warriors to jump ahead 4-3, but instead, Atkinson and the Warriors settled for an RBI groundout before, with two runners in scoring position, a swinging strikeout left the tying run on second base.

Despite the ending, it was a successful first season for Head Coach Laura Tucker as she took over a team that won four conference games a year ago and guided them to their second conference tournament appearance in three years. Webber started the season with 10 wins in its first 12 games and earned six wins over nationally-recognized teams during a 14-9 start to the season.

It was also the end of the collegiate careers for seniors Megan Isoba, Meghan Lindell and Laura Borders.

After the game, Coach Tucker reflected on her first season as a Warrior and her first group of seniors.

"I am very proud of our team and the season they had," said Tucker. "I'm thankful for our seniors and what they've done for our program. This year has been one of adversity and I am very proud of how the girls handled changes and fought through tough times. They have all grown as players and as people just in the short time I've been around them. I am looking forward to the future of Webber softball and I hope the seniors know that they truly have impacted the program and are leaving a lasting impression behind. I am also thankful to all the parents, friends and family that have shown our team support throughout this season. We are so appreciative of all that you've done for us."