The Park University Gilbert softball team dropped a pair of games this afternoon at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, Ariz., dropping the first contest 6-0 to No. 2 Southern Oregon and then losing 3-2 to host OUAZ in the nightcap. The Bucs are now 2-8 on the season.
Game 1 - No. 2 Southern Oregon 6, Park Gilbert 0
The Buccaneers faced a stiff test in game one of its double header at OUAZ. The Bucs threw ace Abril Nerey at the second-ranked Raiders and she, along with two relievers kept their bats in check after they had run wild in their previous contest where they put up 25 runs in five innings.
Nerey held them scoreless in the first and gave up a solo run in the second and an unearned run in the fourth inning. She allowed a three spot in the third, giving up four consecutive hits which plated the three runs, all with two outs.
Nerey (1-4) came out after the fourth and a combination of Elisa Garcia and Christian Smith closed out the game and threw well. Garcia allowed a solo run in the fifth and Smith held the Raiders scoreless in two innings of work.
The Bucs struggled to muster any offense, with only three hits for the game. A Ledezma Romero infield single in the first, a Bri Jackson single in the fifth and a Kayla Seto single in the seventh.
 Game 2 - OUAZ 3, Park t 2
The Bucs lost a heartbreaker to OUAZ in the second game of the double header 3-2 as OUAZ won on a walkoff in the bottom of the seventh.
OUAZ got on the board first in the third inning with a run off of Nerey who entered the game in relief of starter Nicole Darby who threw two scoreless innings to start the contest.
The Bucs answered back in the fifth with a pair of runs on a Noelle Gumm single and a Spirit error. OUAZ would tie the game in the bottom half of the inning with another solo run off of Nerey.
In the seventh, a single and an error put two runners on and a wild pitch put the winning run at third. After getting a lineout to left, Smith entered the game in relief of Nerey and struck out the first hitter looking. Then with two outs, a single to left brought home the winning run.
Nerey (1-5) took her second loss of the day.
At the plate, Gumm and Romero each had two hits and Gumm the lone RBI. Elisa Cueva and Alejandra Castro had the other two knocks.
Park now takes 11 days off before returning to the field to take on Arizona Christian in Glendale, Ariz. The Firestorm are receiving votes in the latest top-25 poll.
