PEORIA, Ill. - The softball team completed their season with a 6-4 loss to Fontbonne in the championship game of the SLIAC tournament. The Panthers entered Saturday's game facing elimination and needed two wins over Fontbonne to win the title. Despite rallying to cut their deficit to two runs, Greenville fell short.

Greenville took the early lead in the game with a run-scoring double by Mia Boyd that plated Jaclyn Belzer in the first inning.

Melissa Bernal started in the circle for the first time in the tournament and did not record an out before being lifted for the right arm of Alison Klaus who had pitched all three of Greenville's previous tournament games. Bernal faced four batters before departing with GU trailing 2-1. However, the first batter Klaus faced hit a two-run home run and gave Fontbonne a 4-1 lead.

Emma Funk sliced the Fontbonne lead to 4-2 with a solo home run in the second inning. Funk's homer was her second of the season, both coming in tournament play.

In the bottom of the second, Fontbonne made it a 5-2 game and added another run in the fourth to go ahead 6-2.

Madi Case scored in the fifth inning for GU when Boyd reached on an error by the third baseman, and Emma Deters homered in the top of the sixth.

The Panthers gave it all they had in their final at bat, putting two runners on base and bringing Deters back to the plate as the go-ahead run. However, Deters grounded out to second base to end the game.

Taylor Weiss was Greenville's lone player to record multiple hits, going 2-for-4.

Klaus's final pitching line consisted of six innings, three runs, one earned, five hits, and five strikeouts.

The Panthers (22-21) already have their sites set on the 2023 SLIAC tournament with a talented recruiting class and a cast of returners that will challenge for the crown.