Park University's softball program opened the Heart of America Athletic Conference schedule with No. 16 Grand View University in West Des Moines, Iowa and in both games were overtaken late by the Vikings in sweep.
The Pirates move to 11-6 on the season and 0-2 in the Heart, while the Vikings improve to 16-4 and 2-0 in conference play.

It's been since 2012 since the Pirates beat Grand View and the wait will continue after today's matchups, as the series is 1-8, favoring the Vikings.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE | 4-5

The Vikings were on the board first in the game with two runs in the bottom of the second. The Pirates were quick to respond with a Dani-Quinn Klein single in the top of the third to make it 2-1.

It was a tightly contested game throughout. A competitive pitching performance by Dakota Rau kept it within reach with only three earned runs in four plus innings of work.

Park took the lead in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a lead-off single by Macee Austin, a double by Halle Magee, and a home run by Kali Day to take the 4-2 lead.

 After a lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth by Grand View, Nia Muniz took the ball in the circle for Park. The Vikings earned a walk and two more hits, including a bunt single that brought in two more runs to go back on top, 5-4.

Two zeros were thrown by the Vikings in the last two innings for the win.

Park's one through three-hole hitters each had two hits, Austin, Klein, and Magee.

GAME 2 BOX SCORE | 6-8

Both teams had 10 hits in game two and five errors combined by both teams allowed for some extra opportunities.

Lauren Fiene was in the circle in game two and only lasted 3.2 innings against Grand View's lineup.

Park had a six-run top of the third on four hits to capture their largest lead of five runs, 6-1. The inning began with a Lexie Schroeder walk followed by an Austin double. From there Klein got the ball rolling with an RBI single to score Schroeder.

Shelby Sanders came up with a huge two-RBI single to give Park a 3-1 lead. Three more runs would score on a wild pitch and then an error on the Viking second basemen allowed two Pirates to score as well.

A 6-1 lead would not be safe though as two and three-run innings in the bottom of the third and fourth tied the game back at 6-6.

Adrianna Solary took the ball in the last 2.1 innings. She threw a scoreless fifth, but two singles and an error gave the Vikings the go-ahead runs for the 8-6 victory.

Sanders led the Pirates with three hits in game two, but Park had 18 strikeouts between both games which goes to show how tough the NAIA Top 25 opponent's pitching proved to be. Still, the Pirates put up 10 runs in the doubleheader which is the most the Vikings have given up in a doubleheader this season.

Park has a doubleheader slated for Sunday, March 26 in Oskaloosa, Iowa for their second round of Heart games against William Penn University, beginning at 1pm.