Des Moines, Iowa - The Viterbo University Softball team fell short in two games on Monday in the team's double-header against Grand View University. The V-Hawks lost 4-2 in the first game and were victims of a walk-off home run in the second as the Vikings came away with the 6-5 victory.

The Vikings would jump ahead quick in game one as they used a three-run fourth inning to extend their lead to 4-1. The inning was capped off by a two-run home run by Whitney Link who finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate.

The V-Hawks would add a run in the following inning but the rally would end there as Meagan Belieu allowed no runs on just one hit as she picked up the save pitching the final 2.2 innings for Grand View.

Picking up the loss for Viterbo was starting pitcher Bethanee Nitz (Fr. - Menomonee Falls, Wis.) who pitched well in five innings of work for the V-Hawks allowing three earned runs while picking up three strikeouts. The leading hitters for the V-Hawks in game one were Andrea Haines (Jr. - Arcadia, Wis.) and Sami Weaver (Fr. - Trempealeau, Wis.) who each drove in a run.

Game two started out great for the V-Hawks as a two-run home run by Betsy Ward (Jr. - River Falls, Wis.) gave Viterbo an early 2-0 lead after the top half of the first. It didn't take long for Grand View to respond though as they came back with two runs of their own to even the game after one inning.

With the V-Hawks trailing 5-3 going in to the final inning, Viterbo would tie the game on a two-run home run by Kenisha McGuire (Fr. - La Crosse, Wis.) which scored Kelly Sentkowski (Sr. - Plainfield, Wis.) who had drawn a walk earlier in the inning. The tie wouldn't last for long though as Megan Anderson led off the bottom of the seventh inning for the Vikings and drove the first pitch she saw over the fence for the game-winning home run.

Marissa Rathbun (Sr. - Rochester, Minn.) was charged with the loss as she pitched a complete game for the V-Hawks allowing five earned runs on eight hits while striking out four Viking batters. Weaver led Viterbo in hitting as she was the only V-Hawk with multiple hits as she went 2-for-3 at the plate in game two.

With the two losses, the V-Hawks drop to 5-19 overall and 1-9 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. The two wins give Grand View a 12-20 overall record as they improve to 7-5 in the MCC. The V-Hawks are next in action on Thursday as they travel to Decorah, Iowa to take on Luther College in a double-header beginning at 3:00 pm.